Anarkia
by Naia
Summary: Abandonned by his guardians, Harry Potter vanished from existence. Years later, a young man graduates from one of the most elitist and secrete Magical schools and makes his way through Magical societies. Fate or Fatality? Ancient Greeks called it Anarkia.
1. Meeting the boy

Disclaimer : I don't own anything you'll recognize

A/N: Well, first of all, I need to give to P.L.S.'s story: Bringer of Death for inspiring me to start on this story, though it will take a very different turn.

Second, I need a beta reader for this fic since I'm sorely lacking in the grammar, spelling and punctuation departments…

Third, this is an AU story, there will be no pairing (be it slash or het) at least as far as the main characters are concerned. A few characters might be a bit OC or different.

Well, that's about it for now. I hope you'll enjoy this story. It will be a bit darker than my usual works.

Naia

Anarkia

« Now, boy, hand this bag. »

Severus looked up, lips curling with distate at the crude display.

A boy barely ten from the look of it had been backed against a wall by a group of Muggle teenagers and from the look of it wasn't going to get away unscathed.

He was clutching a bag to his chest.

The Potion Master's snarl deepened. Muggles…. That was filth like this that made Voldemort's ideals realistic.

He saw one of the little delinquants ready to punch the breath out of the boy. As his fist was about to connect with the boy's face, the teenager faltered and took a step back.

"What the fuck is going on!"

His friends wore similar expressions where awe and fear were mingled.

"Let's get the hell out of here, Wally."

The one who had been about to hit the child shook his head.

"I won't let this freak scare me, now, gimme the bag, weirdo!"

The child shook his head, clinging to the bag.

"I said GIMME THE BAG!"

The teen took two step forwards and throw his fist.

It didn't have time to connect.

Suddenly the five youths were violently flung back, hitting the walls with sick thuds before slumping on the grounds like ragged dolls.

Severus' eyes had widened at this impressive display of wandless magic and he quickly made up his mind as he noticed the boy was about to bolt away.

In several strides, he was close enough to catch the child, whispering a mild sleeping charm. Holding the now unconscious child, he examined him, trying to find clues as to the boy's parentage. He was small and on the frail side. Well defined features, that while still childlish held promises for the future, a mop of black hair, glasses. The hair and glasses reminded Severus of an old classmate of his, but a quick check showed an unblemished forehead. He couldn't really find any hints as to the boy's identity… Maybe a Muggle-born?

Severus lips twictched with disgust. Even if he was, the boy had power. Any untrained wizard who could blast five people several meters away was not to be dismissed… The man had not survived this long and had not been a Slytherin for the goodness of his heart.

Getting a better hold on his charge, he disapparated with a quasi silent cracking sound.

Once back to his family manor, he summoned an house elf and ordered him to ready a room for the boy. Placing the child on a couch in his office, he observed him as he would have a new potion. Knowing he wouldn't get any answers if the boy was asleep, he swished and flicked his wand, muttering the counter to his first charm.

Stirring, the youth nearly bolted out of the couch, eyes opened wide, instinctly knowing he wasn't in his usual surroudings, a fact Snape did not miss.

"Don't even try to flee, the door and the windows are locked and I assure you, nothing you could do would open them."

The boy eyed him warily but remained silent. That puzzled Severus. From his experience, a ten year old child would have been distraught at the idea of having been taken by a stranger and would have been crying by now, calling for his parents.

"What's your name?"

The boy kept on watching his every move, his piercing green eyes virtually dissecting him.

"Julian Richards," he finally said.

"That's not your true name"

The boy shrugged carelessly.

"It's how I've been called at the orphanage…"

Severus eyebrows raised at that, an orphan?

"How long have you been there?" he finally asked.

"I was left there when I was five…"

Severus gritted his teeth, reigning his anoyance at having to wrench every piece of information from the boy.

"Who left you, boy?"

"They only found a letter in the bag the man whose family I had living with had given me. It said my name was Julian Richards and that I was born July, the 31st." The boy said that in a bored voice, as if he had been asked this countless times, which he probably must have.

Severus did a double take at the date, but dismissed it… countless babies must have been born at that time.

"Are you happy at the Orphanage?"

The boy shrugged, his eyes looking everywhere in the room, curiosity filling them, a widening visible occasionaly as he spotted moving pictures, Severus owl resting on its perch or one of his cauldron simmering quietly over blue magical flames.

"M. Richards!"

Julian looked back to him.

"There are worse places to be."

Severus eyed the boy, finally coming to a decision.

"Kala!"

A house elf popped in the room, startling the child who starred at the small, crinkled creature with wary eyes.

"Master?"

"I want a lunch for two to be brought to these rooms."

"Yes, master. What should Kala bring."

"Whatever, just bring some food here."

The house-elf bobbed her head up and down before popping away.

"Very well, Julian; I have an offer for you."

The boy just looked at him, something which was unnerving the older wizard greatly.

"I am a wizard, just as you could be if given the proper training… How old are you, by the way?"

"Eleven, sir."

"The fact that you did not received an invitation for Hogwarts is curious, but there are no doubts that you can wield magic. I offer to send you to a small magical school one of my friends rules. I want to warn you that this is not your typical schooling. It will be hard, it will hurt, you will probably curse my name for getting you in this, but once you'll be out, you will have a chance to survive this war."

Julian was still watching him.

"Why are you going through this for me?"

Severus's eyebrows rose at the questions.

"You aren't wondering about the truth of my words? About Magic and this war?"

The boy shook his head.

"I already knew about magic and the war, the snakes told me."

"The snakes…"

For the first time, the black-haired youth showed some surprise.

"Can't you do it?"

Severus shook his head faintly.

A parselmouth! Great Merlin! How could this boy had escaped Dumbledore's watch and not get an invitation to Hogwarts!

"Too bad, they are interesting to talk to, even if they love confusing people and talking in riddles…"

Severus composed himself quickly, there was no point in letting that brat know he had been surprised.

"So, boy, what is your answer?"

The child looked back to him, eyes narrowed.

"You did not answered my question, Sir, Why?"

Severus was amused that the boy had not been distracted from his questions.

"I am a Potion Master, M. Richards. One of the best there is, but I can't reach the title of Adept without forming an apprentice. You have potential and this schooling will allow me to see if you are worth my efforts."

He hadn't told the full truth, but enough to placate the child, who nodded his agreement.

"So you agree?"

The black-haired child rolled his eyes.

"Yes, sir" he answered in the same bored tone he had been using before. Severus decided that the school he was going to send the boy would cure him of this particular trait, no point of aneliating the child now.

"Do you have any possession at your current residence you wish to keep?"

Harry shot him a bewildered look.

"You mean…. At the orphanage, sir?

"Yes."

"Well… maybe, and I need to go back or they'll look for me…"

Severus seemed to weigh the pros and cons of allowing the child to return the orphanage. In the end, it seemed less of a hassle to clear the child situation with the muggle authorities… No need to make them think the brat had been kidnapped or something.

"Very well, Take my arm and whatever happen, do not let go, do I made myself clear?"

The boy nodded, his eyes still darting around the room…

Severus Snape sighed, children and their thrice damned curiosity!... Gathering the child in his arms, he made sure the boy was gripping his arm and apparated them to an alley near the Leaky cauldron.

"What's the name of your orphanage, boy!"

"St John's Orphanage, sir."

The Potion master sneered at the name before hailing a cab, internally shiddering at the prospect of having to use the muggle contraption.

Barking their destination to the driver, the man seated himself in a corner, watching with barely concealed disgust the Muggles running around them. So mundane…

After a twenty minute drive that seemed way longer to the older wizard, they stopped in front of an old looking building from which Children cries and squeals could be heard.

Giving his money to the driver without according him any tip, why should he, after all the man was doing his job. He was not compensated for doing his job, so why should this Muggle be?

"Richards, come… I don't have time to waste, despite what you may think."

The boy obeyed quietly and led him to the secretary. A middle-aged woman was busing speaking on the phone.

"Yes, small boy, eleven year-old, green eyes, black hair, glasses, wearing a blue shirt and grey pants. His name is Julian…"

She paused as she spotted the shadow of a man looming on her.

"Excuse me an instant, sir."

Placing her hand over the speaker, she looked at Snape.

"Do you need anything, Sir?"

Snape nodded, trying to be as agreable as possible.

"Yes, I found this boy and he told me he was living here." He pointed at Julian who was trying to appear as innocent as he could.

The woman's shoulder sagged down in relief. She took her phone again.

"Yes, sir, yes… He was just brought back by a man… Apparently, he got lost in London. Yes, sir. Good afternoon to you too, sir and my apologies again to have disturbed you…"

She put the phone down and stood up.

"Julian Richards! Do you know how worried the Sisters and myself were?"

Snape had to bite back a smile as the brat looked up with wide innocent eyes, appearing years younger than his eleven years.

"I'm really sorry, Miss Browns… I just wanted to go to the parc again…"

The woman wasn't fooled however.

"This doesn't work with me, Julian. You know you are not allowed outside without chaperons!"

"I'm sorry Miss Browns."

The woman shooed him away.

"Go to your room, we will discusss the punishment for this infraction later. However, consider yourself grounded."

Julian didn't try to protest and left without complaints as Miss Browns turned to Snape.

"Thank you for bringing this troublemaker back, Mr. ?"

"Snape, Professor Severus Snape, Chemistry teacher at Hogwarts."

"A pleasure to meet you, sir. I hope Julian was not too much of a burden."

Snape had to stop himself from gagging at the pleasantries he was forced to go through.

"Not at all, he was a real delight. He is an orphan?"

The woman shrugged.

"We don't know, he was abandonned here six years ago. Why are you asking?"

Snape tried to pull his most gentle face as he tried to smile.

" I've wanted to adopt a child for a long time and had not found the right child until now… Julian seemed to be an interesting lad…"

Miss Browns racked her hands in her hair.

"Interesting! That he is for sure! There is not a day that passed without something happening to this one… And we had little hope of seeing him adopted given is age… Did you have all the papers and authorization for an adoption?"

Snape nodded.

"Very well, then come back tomorrow with them and we'll take care of the paperwork…"

Distracting her, Snape took out his wand. He was not going to wait anymore than he already had; and even if he was, it wasn't a Muggle that was going to tell him.

"Obliviate!"

The woman looked at him, a blank look on her face.

"Julian Richards was adopted today by Mr and Mrs Smith. They are leaving for America soon. All the papers were filled and everything was perfectly legal. You had decided not to warn anybody about the adoption in order not to raise Julian's hopes in case the adoption was refused. The plane is leaving early and so Julian don't have time to say goodbye. You never met a man called Severus Snape. Julian was brought back to the orphanage by a man called John Torn."

Miss Browns nodded blankly then blinked in confusion. She narrowed her eyes at him.

He shook her hands, pasting a smile on his face.

"Mrs Smith and myself will never be thankful enough to you Miss Browns. I am dreadfully sorry we cannot stay any longer, but Mrs Smith is eagerly waiting for Julian to come to his new home before we leave…"

The woman nodded a smile spliting her face.

"Of course, I will explain everything to the Sisters. They will be delighted to know that Julian finally found a home and a family."

Snape heard light footsteps coming their way and looked to his right spotting Julian. The young boy was carrying a sport bag on his shoulder and was wearing a black vest.

"Ready to leave Julian?" Miss Browns ruffled his hair fondly. "Be sure to send us a card from America to tell us how things are going with your new family." She turned to Snape. "I assume you settled everything with the social services?"

Snape nodded, not having a clue what were those social services. He bit down a sarcastic remark and took the boy in his arm, trying to create the perfect picture of a new family. The child seemed to catch up on this as he threw his arm around his neck, all but cuddling to him.

"Bye miss Browns!" he said, waving as they stepped out of the building.

"Bye Julian! Take care of yourself! And no more climbings on roofs!"

Once they were out of sight, Julian let go of Snape neck and he put him on the ground.

"I must commend you on your acting skills, Mr. Richards… What was that bit about climbing on roofs?"

The child shrugged, his bored look back in place.

"I don't know. One seconds I was running from bullies, the next one I was standing on the roof."

Snape managed not to show his surprise… That was powerful accidental magic…

"Now listen. You will spend the night at my house and I'll send you to your school tomorrow morning. I will provide for your school things and clothes. Whatever extras you might wish to acquire you'll have to do so by yourself."

The young boy nodded, eyes intent on him.

"Can I take Salya and Sostris with me?"

Snape frowned and upon seeing his confusion the boy opened his bag and rummaged through it. Two bands suddenly coiled themselves around his wrist, serpentine heads looking around them, forked tongues slipping out, tasting the air. They hissed and even if Snape had known that the boy that a Parseltongue, knowing and seeing it first hand were two different things.

The boy laughed suddenly and Snape found himself with two snakes whose fangs were mere centimeters away from his face.

They flicked their tongues at him, hissing slightly.

"They say you smell of herbs, dead things and damp places…"

"I work in dungeons," replied the older wizard, managing to compose himself quickly.

With that he took Julian's arm and warning him snappishly to hold him tightly, he apparated back to his manor. After sending the boy to his room under the guidance of one of his house-elf, he went to change to proper wizarding attire. The dinner was silent, he assumed the boy must have flooded the house-elf with questions since he did not inquire about anything magic-related.

"Sir?"

Snape should have known it was too good to last.

"Yes," he all but barked.

"What's the name of the school I'm going to join?"

A smirk spread on Snape's face.

"It's a Russian school, known to a select few. Its name is Nightshades."

The boy's brows were frowned as he seemed to ponder over something before he seemed to come to a decision.

"How long will I stay there?"

Snape's smirk widened slightly.

"A few years at least… I would say between four to ten years… It will depend on how quickly you learn what they have to teach you."

Apparently satisfied with this answer, the boy returned to his rather messy consumption of the ice cream the elves had chosen to serve as desert.

Snape repressed a smile. Nightshades would correc the boy of his faults or he would not survive his schooling. He made a not to write a letter to the headmaster to inform him of the situation and to take it into account while assigning the boy his mentor. Karal would handle it with his usual genius and he trusted that his old friends would manage to transform this urchin into a young wizard any self respecting family would die to claim; or he would make sure nobody would find the body.

He spent the night writing his letter and a few other ones to take of the boy furniture and clothes. He received an answer the next morning as he was woken by a tocking to his window. A raven was perched on the window sill, a parchment tied to his talons.

He took it, feeding the bird a dead mouse he kept for his owl. Skimming the letter's content, he repressed a smile as he saw a school ring tuck to the parchment. The portkey-ring would activate at noon. Iy gave him ample time to get the brat and his bags ready.

He called his personnal house-elf, Kala, and asked her to have breakfast ready in half an hour as well as to send another house-elf to wake the brat and have him down to the dining-room by that time. The creature nodded and disappeared, leaving Snape to ready himself for the day. As he entered the dining-room, twenty minutes later he found a pile of bags and boxes waiting for him. It was always a pleasure to make business with those shops… they understood the meaning of promptness and the products had always met his expectations. He supposed that having the Snapes as regulars was something they did not want to lose.

The boy entered silently, his arrival only indicated by the sound of the door closing behind him.

"Good morning, sir."

As he sat down, breakfast appeared on the table and Severus started to help himself to the coffe pot.

"Good morning to you, Mr. Richards. Once we will have filled the empty void that boys' stomachs seemed to be, we will prepare your bags for your coming year."

The youth nodded his agreement before started to munch on his buttered toasts. Fifteen minutes later, they both left the table and walked back to the room Julian's had been given for the night, the packages Snape had received this morning floating behind them.

By noon, the boy was dressed as any proper young wizard would, his three trunks filled to the brim with what Snape had deemed necessary to his school year.

"This should last you the year or at least until Easter. Should you find yourself lacking something, ask the Headmaster to contact me and I will see to it if it is really needed."

"Yes sir. Thank you for what your are doing."

Snape sneered.

"You won't thank me in the coming weeks, I can assure you of this, boy. Now, put the ring on your finger and hold on your trunks."

Obeying, Julian did as he had said and a minute later he disappeared from England, leaving a thoughtful Snape starring at the spot he had been standing seconds before.

(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)

_Severus,_

_I have to say that I find myself doubting your sanity, my old friend. How can you send this boy to us? He didn't even know that vampires and werewolves existed… I let you imangine how his first confrontation with some of our older students went._

_What do you expect from me? A miracle? Because that what it will take for this mubdlood urchin to survive._

_Given what you want me to accomplish with this boy, I assigned him to Evan, a young but promising vampire lord, one of the sons of the Princeps._

_Yours, Karal, Headmaster of Nightshades._

_Severus,_

_A Parseltongue… My opinion of your urchin is rising a notch… though it couldn't have gotten worse than my former opinion. His two scaly friends turned out to be quite the poisonous kinds… unless he enhanced their venom somehow… it wouldn't surprise me since he seemed to have developped quite the obsession with his snakes… Evan reported little progress to me. The young man is getting quite annoyed with your protegé since the lack of skills he is showing is becoming quite the joke in the school… Don't say I didn't warned you if we found your boy emptied of his blood one morning. I must say he can be silent. This is one of the only good things I have to say about him, added with the fact he made friends with every snake, ghost and painting he met, it's probably the only thing that have kept him alive to this day._

_Yours, Karal._

_Severus,_

_I thought I ought to write to you about the recent development concerning your boy. Apparently Evan was mocked one time to many, but this time, Julian was present. Before the young vampire could pound the offenders to dust, they were blasted to the walls and seemed to be stuck there, three meters high in the air. Your boy's aura was apparently visible, but nobody seemed to remember what it was. Back to my little story, the three victims are now in the hospital wing, unconscious and were diagnosed with a magic overload, coupled to multiple fractures which might be due to their three-meter high fall…_

_Yours, Karal._

_Severus,_

_I don't know where you found this boy, but he and Evan are now stuck to the hip. I don't know why or how, but what I know is that he has now all the vampire population either trembling before him or wrapped around his finger. He is still showing little improvement in his class, but no one seems to mock him for it. He somehow managed to pass his second year, much to his teachers' surprise. I must say he has me at a loss…_

_Karal._

_Severus, _

_Forget everything I might have said about Julian. After seeing him break every school records during his third year evaluation, I can't keep on thinking you nuts._

_You knew it, didn't you, you sly dog… I admit you fooled me like a beginner. You always were the one to find the hidden gems, weren't you old friend. This Julian is a rough gem, but I now can see what might have spurred you to send him here. He will be a real jewel once his training is done and given his twisted sense of loyalty, I must say that whoever will get it will have gain a real gift. _

_He somehow managed to get the werewolves under his thumb too. Evan is not leaving his side. _

_Karal_

_Severus,_

_We decided to make Julian skip a year an might do it again if he keeps progressing at this speed. I don't know what happened to unlock his abilities, but whatever it was it was potent._

_Your protégé is rising quickly among the school hierarchy, but he mostly keep to himself and let Evan in the limelight, happy to stand in the shadows, watch and back the young vampire._

_He recently developped quite an interest in fencing and was started on the basics. Our Fencing Adept seems to be satisfied with his new student._

_I must warn you that he acquired a few new scaly pets, mainly a Runespoor and a few magical snakes._

_Yours, Karal._

_Severus, _

_We made your boy skip one year again… I don't know how he does this and frankly he's starting to scare me. Was it not for his complete lack of ambition I would say that that Lord of yours would have had problems. But given the fact that Julian's only goal in life seemed to be reading every book he can get his hands on, you don't have to worry. I'll caution you though. Even if he shows little interest in the outside world, he is by no mean a push over, many a student learnt it in a very painful way. He has some morals and will stay true to them. His loyalty is still strong and I'm starting to think I did Evan a favor by assigning Julian to him._

_Yours, Karal._

_Severus, _

_The year is about to end and your protégé will graduate within the best this school has seen since its foundation. We followed your demands and your gem is by now a amazing jewel. I leave the refining and polishing to you. Joined to this letter, you will find Julian's score for his finals, and I think you will find them as impressive as we did…He will arrive by Portkey at noon, on the 1st of August._

_It had been a pleasure to teach him, despites the doubts I had regarding his capacities during his first two years. Should you find any other child like him, they will be welcomed to this school._

_Yours, Karal._

_P.S: You owe me a dinner, he will return England with his Runespoor, three snakes and a young Basilik. I convinced him to leave the Dragon in a reserve, the asp in the school as well as the ten or so other snakes that seemed to have settled in his room._

Severus rolled his eyes as he placed the last letter back in the box where he had kept every letter Karal had sent him about the boy, in order to keep him updated on his progresses. He had been afraid he had made a mistake at first, but had decided that the boy would either survive and come out of it stronger or that the world would be rid of a weak wizard. But he had not make any mistake. He looked up to the grandmother clock ticking loudly in the corner of the room.

Still a minute to go. He reviewed what he was going to do with the boy. He was going to let him settle, then he would explain the world situation to the brat. He took a sip of the brandy glass he had poured himself some time before. Then he would take him as his apprentice and bring him to one of the Dark Lord stronghold…The Dark Lord had granted him a day leave when Snape had told him he had to go fetch his new apprentice.

The man had been called back from his teaching position as Voldemort had needed his best Potion Master at his side and not under Dumbledore's nose.

Voldemort knew the game Severus was playing. There was no way he could not and if he didn't then he deserved to lose the war. Life was not kind to those lacking wit and intelligence.

Spies did not live long unless they played both sides at the same time. Dumbledore and Voldemort were aware of that fact but both needed the information too much to get rid of the Potion master.

Voldemort had been resurrected five years ago after succeeding in stealing the Sorcerer's stone, despite the meddling of those three Gryffindors… Severus sneered as he thought of the brats. Dumbledore was a fool if he thought that Longbottom would be the figurehead he had wanted to make out of the Potter child. From what he recalled, the brat had been scared of his own shadow; unless he had grown a backbone and had made a break with his powers, he would be killed the moment he was sent to fight.

He was a Slytherin and snakes always looked out for themselves. He was not going to martyred himself supporting a side or another.

Noon rang and soft thud made Severus twirl, his wand springing to his hand. Seeing who it was, he pocketed it and nodded tersely in greetings, appraising the changes that had occurred in his charge.

"Hello, sir."

(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)


	2. Learning

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you'll recognize. 

A/N: Well, thanks a lot to everyone who offered to beta for me. Thanks to my two betas: Eve and Stormfirearia for their help and input as well as to all those who reviewed, your comments and opinion are much welcomed and appreciated. Well, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. Exams are nearly out of the way, so I should have soon more time to write.

Naia

Chapter Two 

Severus Snape looked smugly at his laboratory.

A large room, about four times the size of his Potions classroom at Hogwarts, with a second room about the same size next to it, plus a library and a bathroom. The ambient temperature was cool and the air dry. The walls and the floor were made of cold greystone, smoothed by time.

Several shelves spanned the length of the walls, supporting jars, vials, spare cauldrons in an array of metals and sizes, a selection of books and various other potions equipment. Four worktables and a large fifth one, all made of stone, dominated the central floor space while two massive cupboards, containing the most commonly used ingredients, lined a wall. All the furniture had been spelled protected against any accident that might occur.

Snape nearly smiled when he thought of his private stores in an adjacent room. The things stocked there would make any respectable Potions master envious.

But above all, this was _his_.

_All _of it.

Most people knew better than to interrupt when he was playing with his ingredients. Potions were his love, his passion. Very few people could understand that.

Snape was even gladder that circumstances had made him quit his teaching position at Hogwarts. He had never enjoyed teaching those brats whose only concerns were playing Quidditch and fooling around with magical tricks and pranks…

That was why he had sent the boy away after taking him in. He had no patience for children or fools. It was only when people could be of use to him that Snape even bothered mingling with them.

However, he never regretted having taken the boy as his apprentice. He was not Adept material, lacking the necessary passion for it, but he was brillant, _oh, yes_, he was. Nightshades had sharpened his mind, pushed him to his limits, forced the young ignorant boy to develop his skills and become the best. He couldn't have survived if he hadn't. Karal had set the standards for his school; those who couldn't meet them were never seen again. The raw power he had sensed when the brat had been ten or so years old had been honed under the tuition of Karal's staff.

The Potions master had, indeed, been well inspired to take him. From Karal's letters, he had surmised that the boy would be at least a useful aid, if not a great ally.

A rather insistent knocking had him frowning.

"Enter!" He exasperatedly barked, not even sparing a glance on the impudent trespasser of his sanctuary. He kept on stirring his potion, paying extra heed to the gentle simmer of its surface, carefully adapting his speed to the barely perceptible change in color of his new concoction. Changing hand, he extended his hand towards the jar containing finely distilled Acromantula venom.

"Severus, if you can spare me a moment," the voice of the newcomer held a distinctly annoyed edge at having to wait on the potions brewer.

The Potions Master nearly had a heart attack upon hearing the unmistakeable silky voice of his Master. He was careful to put a stasis charm on his cauldron, knowing such magic wouldn't interfere with the potion at this stage of the brewing process. Cleaning his hands from any residue, he then turned towards his Master.

"My Lord." With eyes cast down, he bowed to his knee.

"_Rise_, Severus."

The man obeyed and glanced at his master. Voldemort had been resurrected five years ago after engineering the theft of the Sorcerer' Stone with the aid of Quirell employed as Defense Professor at that time and still teaching at Hogwarts, the last he'd heard.

The_ Elixir of Life _had done_ wonders, _restoring the Dark Lord to his past glory. Before Snape stood an impressive looking fifty-five year old man, who, while not handsome by classical canons, nobody could dismiss as commonplace. The man was tall and thin, with pale skin that gave him an inhuman look. Though the Elixir had given him a new body, not all human functions had been fully recovered.

His face was angular, framed by black hair streaked with grey that reached his shoulder blades, and tied back by a snake-shaped clasp. An aquiline nose, high cheekbones and eerie red eyes completed the picture. Dressed in expensive dark green robes showing his status of Slytherin Heir, the Slytherin signet ring he wore on his right forefinger served only to reinforce the fact.

"You have been absent from my circles for a long time now, Severus. What has you so busy you can't answer my summons?"

Snape steeled himself. There was a distinct edge to his master's voice that demanded answers and truthful ones.

While he knew he had more leeway than the usual Death Eater and even more than most of Inner Circle Members, there was only so much the Dark Lord would tolerate and even Snape could see how not answering his summons for two months could be deemed too much by Voldemort.

"The orders for potions keep increasing as days pass, my Lord. Although you have managed to gain the support of many Masters of my craft, we still can't afford to leave our laboratories."

The Dark Lord frowned, clearly unhappy with the news, something that put Snape on edge. The Dark Lord might have recovered most of his sanity, but he remained a short-tempered man, expecting quick results from his servants. "Is there no other way to solve this problem?" Voldemort asked shortly.

The Potions Master shook his head. "No, my Lord. Even with all of us taking on apprentices to increase the number of masters under your command, their formation will take some time."

"You took an apprentice, Severus? I thought you did not want to waste time hammering knowledge through the void a child's mind is." The Dark Lord smirked, amused by the man's temperament. Severus Snape had always placed himself on a pedestal and only deigned acknowledge those he judged equal to himself.

The Potions Master nodded. "I found someone with enough potential and who proved worthy of my teachings…"

Before Snape could say more, a door closed softly in the back of the room and both wizards turned to see a youth dressed in black, wearing dragonhide gloves and an apron, standing calmly. Lord Voldemort eyed him curiously.

The young man looked about fifteen years old, not especially tall, with pale skin like his master, who Voldemort assumed this teen was his Potions master's apprentice. Long and limp black hair (greased by potion fumes and a lotion used by many brewers to protect their hair from the emanations coming from their brews) framed thin features overwhelmed by large green eyes.

The Dark Lord couldn't really see what his servant had seen in the brat, but he knew Snape wouldn't settle for nothing short of the best.

"I have the purified Dragon's blood you requested, Master Snape, and I finished with the ingredient which had just arrived."

Snape nodded sharply. "Good. We received an order for healing potions and some poisons from Whitehall. Take care of them. The papersare in the usual drawer, don't mess them again. Once you're done, study chapters twenty to twenty-four of Most Potente Potions."

The youth bowed, walked fluidly to a nearby table and placed the large vials he had been holding before leaving, completely silent. Not even his footsteps could be heard on the stone floor.

Voldemort shot him a curious and vaguely interested look. "Your apprentice, I presume."

Snape nodded tersely while examining the jars his charge had brought. "Yes, My Lord."

"I don't recall ever seeing him… What's his name?" The Dark Lord's tone commanded attention and Snape decided that focusing on his master was the best thing to do.

"Julian Richards, my Lord," answered Snape.

"Richards… I do not recall any families of that name. A muggle-born?" There was marked distaste in the Dark Lord's tone.

Severus shrugged. "Can I speak my mind, my Lord?"

Voldemort smiled, amused once again. _Very few people dared to ask him that_. "You were granted that right many years ago, Severus."

"Then, I must say that I do not know of the boy's parentage. I found him during one of my errands. He was abandoned at a young age and was given a name when he was put in an Orphanage. I sent him to Nightshades. He just finished his schooling and I am now refining his skills and knowledge."

"_Nightshades_, Severus? How old is the boy?" Now Voldemort's interest was piqued as he recalled the teen's face. A graduate from that school was not to be dismissed.

"Sixteen, I believe."

"So young, and already a Nightshades' graduate?" Voldemort enquired, surprised. Maybe he should try to get to know more about this…. Richards boy.

Snape nodded sharply. He could see that the Dark Lord was intrigued by the boy, but he was sure he would forget about him quickly. He hadn't been in contact with the boy long enough to truly feel his power and potential.

"The boy proved to be adequate and so I deemed him fit to receive my instruction."

Voldemort smirked. "High praise coming from you," he simply said. "Well, I bid you good day, Severus, but do try to come to me at least once a month. I miss your presence by my side." The last part was pronounced in a warning tone, stating clearly to Severus that while he was given a bit more latitude, he was this man's servant nonetheless.

Severus bowed. "I will do my best, my Lord."

Voldemort smirked once more and stalked out of the laboratory.

Immediately, Snape turned back to his cauldron and lifted the Stasis charm. Minutes later, he was once more completely engrossed in his potions.

Hours later, his stomach reminded him he needed to eat. Finishing the poison he had been ordered to brew, he bottled it, labelling it clearly enough for even the most stupid Death Eater to read. Tidying the room and putting his ingredients carefully back to their respective shelves and cupboards, he then made his way to the back room.

Entering it, he saw Julian reading the assigned chapters while taking notes in his Potions journal. The room was clean and rows of neatly labeled vials were standing on the table next to the teen. He walked to them and checked the brews for faults in their color, consistency…

"Good work, Julian."

The teen had been monitoring his every movement the whole time he had been in the room. That was a reflex hammered in every Nightshades' graduate. By the time of their graduation, most alumni were quite the paranoid sorts.

"Thank you, Master Snape."

The Potions Master looked closely at his charge, pondering over something he had been meaning to bring up for several days already.

"Julian, were you taught Occlumency? You will have to go to the Circles sooner or later, either with me or on your own. Your mind must be immune to attacks."

The teen had stopped writing and was looking at him. "I never managed to really learn Occlumency, Master. At the beginning, when I sensed someone probing my mind, I overloaded him with useless thoughts. My mentor tried to show me how to shield myself, but it didn't seem to work. In the end, he placed shields on me, using vampire methods."

Snape frowned slightly. "This won't do. You need to be able to protect yourself. There is no saying how long those shields will hold up… From now on, all your evenings will be spent practicing Occlumency and then Legilimency under my tutoring."

Julian nodded.

"Go back to your reading; I expect your usual report by tomorrow morning."

The younger wizard inclined his head in agreement and started on his book again. Snape watched him for a few minutes before stalking out of the room, robes billowing in his wake. He started to tidy his desk, looking at the different demands that had come during the day for various potions, deciding which ones he would leave to his protegé and which he would take care of himself. He sighed as he eyed the growing piles of parchment.

That done, he still had to check on his supplies and send requests for ingredients he was growing short of and others which were quite rare but would be needed for the brews requested.

Around 1am, he heard Julian's door close and decided to follow his apprentice's example by calling it a night.

A week passed without much problem, except his growing frustration over Julian's Occlumency's lessons.

The teen had been right. He didn't seem to understand the intricacies of this technique. This worried Snape. He couldn't allow the boy to enter the Death Eaters circles without a modicum of basic shielding techniques.

"Once more, Julian. Ready? Legilimens!"

He entered the teen's mind easily to find himself stopped by the vampire shield. However, they had been practicing everyday and thus, the protections were starting to falter.

He probed the shield, trying to look for an opening, pushing against the defenses. Suddenly, he felt a small crack. He made his way through it and started to sift through the boy's memories, focusing on his early childhood.

He had to admit he was curious as to the boy's parentage. What kind of parents was powerful enough to produce a child that strong only to abandon him later?

He just had time enough to see a bright sickly green light, accompanied by a high-pitchedlaugh before he was thrown out of the boy's mind. He felt himself hit the laboratory wall and it took him a few seconds before he could haul himself back to his feet, all the while panting heavily.

Julian was on his knees, body wracked by heavy shivers.

"Julian?" Severus leant on the wall, composing himself. What had happened? That had been one of the earliest memories of the boy. But this green light… It was the Avada Kedavra…. There was little doubt there; he had seen it often enough to recognize it immediately.

_But then… How? _

"Julian?" His voice was a bit more pressing.

"M-Master Snape…" The teen shakily drew himself to his feet. It took him several minutes to get himself back under control and even then, Severus could see the turmoil of the young wizard.

"Julian," his voice was gentle, well, as gentle as it could be. "What was that?"

Julian shrugged. "I don't really know… I used to have nightmares about this green light when I was young; it passed with the years…"

Severus frowned. "What do you remember of your years before the orphanage?"

The teen shrugged. "Not much… Just yelling… A few words: boy, freak, a dark place…doctors… They- I mean the people I lived with- took me to doctors. I assume it was doctors since they all had white blouses. I remember them looking at my forehead and having this big itchy bandage for a few weeks afterward. That's about it."

Snape's eyes had widened dramatically at the mention of doctors and forehead. It couldn't be _him_! Dumbledore had looked everywhere!

"Come here, Julian."

The boy obeyed without hesitation.

The Potions Master took the teen's chin and tilted his head up, pushing black hair out of the way. Indeed, there was a small faint circular scar where something must have once stood out. Letting go of his charge's head, he summoned a small detector and pressed it to Julian's forehead.

He felt himself grow cold as the scan showed faint traces of heavy Dark Magic.

"Julian, come with me. We need to brew a potion immediately."

He strode to his cupboards and started to take out several boxes, jars and vials, handing them to his apprentice.

Julian peered at the labels a few times, placing them cautiously on the working table.

"The Lineage Potion?"

"Yes. If what I suspect is true, then, there will be several things you'll need to know. Prepare those ingredients and start on the brewing process while I go fetch the rest of the required components for this potion and the ritual..."

Severus left the room in a hurry and went straight to his private stores. Taking out three vials, he then picked a ceremonial dagger, a chalice and some chalk. The potion was quite quick to brew, but extremely complex in its timing. He came back to see Julian starting on the first steps.

"I'll take over the brewing, but I will need a vial of your blood. The bandages and healing draughts are in their usual drawers. Then draw the runes and the symboles for the Lineage Ceremony."

Nodding sharply, the teen quickly switched positions with his master, so that the stirring was as little disturbed as possible.

Once he was certain his mentor didn't require any help, he went to take the bandages and the draughts, before placing everything he would need within reach. Taking the dagger, he cut his left wrist just deep enough for the blood to drip out. He watched dispassionately as the crimson liquid filled the vial, then used a bandage he had previously dipped in the healing draught to close the wound.

Waiting thirty seconds, he then took off the bandages to see that the cut had scarred nicely. Closing the vial, he cleaned the worktable and took the chalk and parchments needed for the ritual. Carefully, he drew a pentacle on the ground, paying specific attention to its symmetry. Then he started on the runes, double-checking them. Rituals after all, allowed little margin for mistakes.

Placing the chalice at the centre of the pentacle, he surveyed his work, before going to a drawer and fetching a few black and white candles. Placing them at each point of the pentacle, Julian took a few steps back and again surveyed the whole thing. There didn't seem to be flaws.

"Julian, if you're done, put on your ritual robes. Get the white one."

The young wizard nodded and left by a side door that led to his master's and his quarters. Walking to his room, he opened his wardrobe and took the white hand-made robes. When performing rituals, it was forbidden to wear clothes or objects embedded with magic other then your own, unless you wished to bring some nasty side effects upon yourself.

When he returned to the main room, his master was putting the finishing touches to the potion.

Ten minutes later, Severus was finished. He cleaned his worktable and poured some of the smoking potion in a glass. Waiting for it to cool down, he went to fetch his own robes, which were of a saffron colour with a blood red lining, Snape's family colours.

"Drink the glass, take off your shoes, open your robes and step in the pentacle," snapped the older wizard. Pouring the rest of the potion in the chalice, he then took out his wand and dipped it in the liquid. After lighting the candles in a clockwise pattern, he started painting three runes on his apprentice's body.

"I, Severus Ignatius Alexander Snape, call upon the blood of this child's mother, shed at his birth," he drew the rune for blood over his stomach, "the mind inherited from his fathers and refined by their care," he wrote the symbol on his forehead, "the Magic of your line, transmitted through time to embody itself in you."

He traced the last mark over Harry's heart.

"By the triad of blood, mind and soul, I ask of this child's heritage. Let his pride shine and his line stand true for all to see." Snape linked the three marks together then stepped out of the pentacle and watched as the potion started to take effect.

The mark started to glow and the liquid in the chalice was rippled by an invisible wind. The Potions Master stared at the chalice, waiting for a crest to appear on the liquid. For a moment, the liquid just swirled in the chalice, then an image started to appear. Snape barely managed to conceal his shock, as his fears were confirmed. That damned crest… He had seen it often enough during his years at Hogwarts: that shield sporting an arrogant looking lion, covering two crossed swords up which ivy ran.

Keeping his wits, he snuffed out the candles and raised his hand. "Finite Incantatum!" The liquid calmed down and the glow faded away.

With a weary sigh, he sat down, racking his hand through his hair. "I'm condemned to be plagued by your family…"

The teen looked at him with confused eyes, while buttoning his robes.

Snape took his wand and helped his apprentice clean the room, before motioning to his charge to follow him to what they called their living room.

"Sit down," snapped Snape, feeling the beginnings of a headache spreading through his skull. He watched as his student obeyed him, all the while shooting bewildered glances his way.

All this time he had been taking care of Potter's son. Talk about irony! It might have been just as well that he had not known of the boy's parentage. Severus knew himself well enough to admit he was a prejudiced man; particularly when it came to fools, Gryffindors and Potter.

He would have never given the boy a chance.

Looking at Pott- no, Julian, he realized what he'd have missed… Harry Potter was nothing but a name, the name of his school rival's son. The teen is front of him might have inherited his traits from his father, but his character, mind and attitude was the product of his own upbringing. The brat had been raised as a Slytherin, a far cry from the model Gryffindors his parents had been. Snape barely refrained from smirking at the thought. Potter senior had to be turning in his grave.

"What do you know of the Dark Lord's history? Is the name Harry Potter familiar to you?" snapped the older wizard, feeling his headache worsening.

The teen frowned, pondering over the questions. "Lord Voldemort is in reality Tom Marvolo Riddle. He is a former Hogwarts alumni, former Head boy. He claims to be Slytherin's heir and first came to power about twenty years ago. He gathered followers whom he branded with what he calls his Dark Mark, which is also used to summon his men to him. He was brought down during an attack directed against a family of Light wizards, the Potters. Their only child, a one year old boy called Harry, is said to have been the cause of his downfall, somehow reflecting the curse back to the Dark Lord."

Julian paused a few seconds, looking at his master to gauge his reaction. "The Dark Lord was not seen for eleven years. Thanks to the use of the Philosopher Stone he managed to steal from Hogwarts, he was brought back and after several years of gathering his armies back to their former glory, he resumed his attacks. Harry Potter was never found when the time came for him to go to Hogwarts."

Snape nodded. "Good. This might come to a shock to you, Julian, but what do you remember of your early childhood, of your parents? What's your oldest memory?"

Julian's face showed his confusion as he tried to guess the point of all those questions. "I-I don't have good memories of my time before the orphanage… But I remember laughter and a green light and pain… Similar to what you saw when I couldn't fight off your Legilimency. I was in pain…" His teenage face scrunched up with the effort to recall those memories.

"What curse do you know that manifests itself by this green light?"

The teen looked at him blankly. "Avada Kedavra, but…"

"Yes, but how would you explain this memory of yours… I assure you that it isn't customary to expose infants to the Killing Curse…"

The teen fixed him with piercing emerald green eyes, understanding shining in them. "That's why you performed this ritual you had to be sure…"

Snape nodded, watching his charge closely. The boy showed little feelings, but _he_ had not managed to rise up the Dark Lord's ranks by being unobservant and oblivious.

The teen was shocked, that much was natural; after all he had just been told he was the heralded Boy-Who-Lived, that the man he was apprenticed to served his parents' murderer.

"Yes, you got most of your features from your father, but your eyes are your mother's."

The teen looked at his mentor, a slightly troubled look appearing on his face. "Did you know my parents, Master Snape?" He had not managed to completely suppress the hopeful note in his voice.

Snape gritted his teeth. "I went to school with them and was in their year. They were Gryffindors and I was a Slytherin so we had little contact."

His apprentice nodded sharply, disappointment hidden quite well, but not well enough.

"I think you should go to bed, Julian. This must have been quite a shock to you…"

The young man looked at him piercingly before nodding slowly. "Thank you, master." He walked towards the door, stiff-backed.

"Julian!" Snape called out.

His charge stopped and turned to him.

"My relationship with your father was nothing less than bitter and hostile, there was too much bad blood and prejudice between us for it to work itself out. I had little contact with your mother, as she was Gryffindor and a Muggle-born. But both of them were powerful people who stayed true to their beliefs."

The green eyes of his apprentice looked at him as if looking deep in his soul.

"Thank you, Master Snape."

He then turned and left for his rooms, aware of his mentor's eyes digging into his back.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 

Harry and Snape never spoke of that night again. They resumed their daily work as if nothing had happened. Snape had apparently decided that no matter who his apprentice's parents might be, he was Julian Richards. It was for him a nice way to completely ignore the fact that he had taken aPotter as his apprentice. As far as he was concerned, Harry Potter never existed and the Potter line was _dead_, something he wasn't shedding a tear for. Moreover, the fact he had ever been called Harry Potter had little importance for both of them. This secret was deeply hidden behind their Occlumens walls.

After having learned of his student's parentage, Severus had deemed it even more important to learn how to ward his mind as well as he could. After months of struggling, the teen had managed to grasp the mental technique and had erected tight and thick defences around his mind that not even his master could penetrate.

"Julian?" Severus looked around as he tried to spot his apprentice. Walking into the laboratory, he found him leaning over a small platinum cauldron.

The boy was now nearly seventeen. His Coming of Age would take place in a few days and he had planned to send him away to his manor. Given the power the boy was displaying as of now, he felt safe to assume that his Coming of Age would be impressive…

The boy would never be very tall, as of now he had the height of a fourteen or fifteen year old. His body was however, at its peak. Julian, like Snape, believed that being a wizard was not only about being able to cast spells. Both of them had trained their bodies to their limits and had then maintained them at their top physical state.

But Julian had also a charisma that drove people to him. Severus had seen how the boy could manipulate people to his advantage, how he could get the information he wanted, or get others to do what he wanted.

"Master Snape?"

The Potions Master was startled out of his thoughts. "Yes, yes… Are you finished with the last order?"

The young man nodded, face schooled in a blank mask. Snape noticed the Potion he had been working on was now cooling down.

"I labeled them and packed them as we always do."

Snape nodded. "Good, I want you to deliver them this time. As you are aware, most of them are highly volatile and dangerous. I don't want them to be damaged by careless idiots and be blamed for the waste they would then be. You are expected at Lazarin tonight. You will spend the night there before going straight to my manor. The house elves have been warned of your arrival. You will have access to my labs should you want to practice or experiment for your thesis. The dueling rooms will also be open to you."

Julian nodded, eyes shining at the prospect of experimenting.

Severus rolled his eyes at this. "I will provide you with a Portkey. Do take care of the potions on the journey I will hold you responsible of any damage that might occur."

The apprentice nodded. "I will not disappoint you, Master Snape."

"I do hope not."

With those last words, Snape left the room to firecall Lazarin, the Dark Lord's stronghold; he might as well make sure they knew of the boy's arrival.

The rest of the afternoon was spent quietly and once they were done with their respective workloads, both of them retired to the living room where a fire was blazing happily in the hearth, though no heat could be felt from it.

Julian had a bag with everything he would need for the Coming packed neatly in it, and all the Potions he was to deliver safely tucked in another one, secured with strong cushioning charms. He had been the one to spell and shrink the vial as he had been shown at Nightshades so that the magic of the charms did not interfere with the potions.

Snape looked at the Snape apprentice crest the boy had sewn over his heart on his dark green robes, a color that made his eyes stand out even more, giving them an unnatural glint. That eased his mind, he knew no sane Death Eaters would dare hurt or attack someone under his protection. He had made sure of that when he had been standing to his Lord's right hand.

"Be wary of any Inner Circle member, Julian. The Malfoys and Lestranges, in particular, are not to be trifled with." Severus frowned a little to enforce his statement.

"I will."

"If you value your life, you will. Always keep your barriers up… As you and I know, there are secrets better left in the dark."

Julian nodded sharply, looking straight into the Potion's Master's eyes.

A chime rang, breaking the staring contest.

"Here is your Floo powder," snapped Severus, handing the boy a purse. "The stronghold's name is Lazarin, as you already know. Make sure to pronounce it right, because I will not go on a merry chase to find you, if you mess this up... Password is Hellion."

Julian remained silent and tied the purse to his belt. Taking out a pinch, he threw it into the fire, watching as the flames flared up and turned green before stepping in and calmly announcing his destination.

"Lazarin!"

He was careful to keep his limbs close to his body as he was sucked into the Floo system and readied himself for the landing.

He managed not to stumble as he stepped out of the fireplace in what he hoped was Lazarin. Immediately, he found himself held at wand point, and before he could think about it, he had his own wand out, a spell on his lips.

Three men, dressed in Dark robes with green trim, appraised him, their eyes lingering on the Snape crest displayed on his clothes.

"Apprentice Richards?"

Julian nodded sharply.

The man, however, needed more to allow him to step further.

"Password."

The young man rolled his eyes. He really didn't see how that was a good protection measure. Any skilled Legilimens could prod a Death Eaters head and learn the password without anybody any wiser.

"Hellion"

The three men lowered their wands and one of them walked to a wall before tapping a sequence of bricks, which Julian committed to memory. After studying at Nightshades for years, remembering a simple sequence was nothing to him. The bricks glowed, as the wizard seemed to wait for something to happen.

He swept the room with his eyes. It was bare and quite small: a simple square about six meters long with one exit and no window, the only other way out being the hearth from which Julian had stepped out. As the teen focused his attention back to the men in the room, he felt a slight shifting around him, and awareness he had not noticed missing, returned.

Now that was better, containment and dampening wards as well as identifying check enchantments weaved into the wards, far more interesting as far as security measures were concerned.

"Follow me," said one of them, the two others remaining behind.

Obeying, Julian was led through several corridors, before his guide showed him a door. "Go in there, ask for Devlin. He's the one in charge of the Potions here."

Julian nodded in thanks and walked away, robes billowing behind him. He smirked as he heard the disgusted mutter of "Snape" behind him. True, his master was partial to the 'billowing robes' tricks, but he did not have its sole monopoly.

Knocking on the door, he waited until he was allowed inside. A barked 'Enter!' indicated that he had been heard. Opening the door, he entered cautiously, checking the room immediately.

The air was saturated with humidity, the scent of herbs, entrails and other ingredients. Though the room was a bit similar to his master's laboratory, it was slightly smaller and messier. He sent a disdainful glance at the ingredients lying on dirty worktables and at the potion spills on the floor. The room was filled with about ten cauldrons, much more than it was prudent. Three young men, apprentices if the white trim of their robes was anything to go by, were busying themselves over the different cauldrons, going from one to another.

Julian had to refrain from sneering. His own master was viciously opposed to such a practice and had made sure that his apprentice shared his viewpoint. While it might save time, it also meant more rooms for errors and less potent potions since the brewers did not attend to every brewing stage. These apprentices must have received large orders and instead of losing some sleep and carefully scheduling their brewing, they had decided to rush through it... From where he stood, he could see that the Burn balm wouldn't be thick enough due to a too slow stirring, and that the Ampheatone lotion, meant to reinvigorate and improve stamina would be too thin and slightly off-colour.

Glancing at the opposite side of the room, he noticed that the potion bubbling happily in that corner was perfect for now... Looking at the ingredients set next to the cauldron, Julian could see that it must be the Wolfsbane potion, in its terminal stages, nonetheless... Quite a huge quantity at that... A shame that the week-long brewing would go to waste in about a minute if the bubbling and slight shift in color was anything to go by.

With a disgusted look at the three apprentices who had been too preoccupied to notice him, he stalked over to the cauldron.

Now, given what was remaining on the tables, the cut shreds of Wolfsbane needed to be dipped in Ice lizard blood, which would allow the plant to dissolve and blend with the other components. Putting his dragonhide gloves on, he went through the process with the ease and accuracy of an experimented brewer. Placing the Wolfsbane in a mortar, he then tipped the contents of the beaker over the plant, after checking that the quantity was right. Taking the pestle, he grinded the mix, making sure the plant absorbed all the blood. Glancing at the bubbling potion in the cauldron, he looked for the telltale sign of this brewing stage. The moment the liquid started turning black, he took the ladle and started to stir in a clockwise manner, carefully adding the mortar's contents. Once he had returned the mortar to the table, he started the timed stirring pattern. One clockwise stir, one counter-clockwise stir, two clockwise stirs, three counter-clockwise, five clockwise, eight counter-clockwise and finally thirteen clockwise.

Carefully, he took the ladle out of the cauldron and placed it in the nearby sink. Checking the potion, he was satisfied to see it was an even blue colour and that the thickness seemed right. The potion would now need to sit for seven hours before the next ingredient will be added. Setting a timer, something he couldn't believe whoever the brewer was, had not done, he went to wash the ladle and placed it back on the table.

"Very good, boy. You're Severus' apprentice, aren't you?"

Julian turned and assessed the man who had just spoken, silently berating himself for not noticing him sooner. He hated being surprised or startled.

The man was older than Severus but taller. Wearing dark grey robes, he was blending in the shadows cast by the torches on the walls. A strong square jaw, small beedy brown eyes, a heavily scarred throat, pale skin, and cropped hair with a hint of developing baldness completed the picture.

"Potions Master Devlin?" he asked stiffly.

"You're Severus' boy, no doubt…," the man chuckled dryly. He walked to the cauldron. "I had been about to take care of this, as none of those inept idiots seemed able to recall my orders."

Harry sent an ill-concealed contemptuous look at the three apprentices who were still running from one cauldron to another.

"They will never reach master level. At best they will be slightly more than average brewers, but the Dark Lord requires more and more potions, though our numbers don't grow… But enough with that, I was told Severus finished with his orders?"

Julian nodded and took out a shrunken box containing the required vials. Carefully undoing his spellwork, he cautiously put the box on a table.

Devlin walked to it and started to inspect the brews. "Excellent… Severus keeps on earning his high-standard reputation… though you made quite a lot of those potions, boy. Your labelling is much more legilible than that old bat's writing."

Julian remained silent, not approving of the master's laid-back comments about his own master.

"You will be a great addition to our rank, young man, but I expected no less from someone that smug git agreed to teach."

By now the other occupants of the room had apparently finished their work and had noticed the newcomer's presence as they started to clean the various working stations.

"Master Devlin?" one of them started to ask, while washing the various ladles that had been used for the different potions. "Who is…?" he finished, pointing toward Julian.

The Potions Master sent his students an icy stare. "Someone who spared you a heavier punishment than the one you'll be receiving for your sloppy brewing. Didn't I tell you to take care of the Wolfsbane Potion?"

The three young men blanched, shooting panicked looks at said cauldron.

"Luckily for you, the potion did not suffer from you ineptness. I'd like to introduce you to…" He looked at Julian with raised eyebrows.

"Julian Richards," the young wizard stated.

"Julian Richards," repeated the Potions Master, "Apprentice to Golden-ranked Potions Master Severus Snape."

The three apprentices sent wary, if not fearful looks at Julian, something that highly amused him. Apparently, his master's reputation went even further than he thought.

"Dinner is about to be served, we will speak of your punishment at a later time. Go and change," Devlin snapped, clearly dismissing his apprentices.

Turning to Julian, he motioned to the door. "Would you agree to dine at my table, so that I might enjoy an intelligent conversation for once?"

Knowing better than refuse such an offer, the young wizard nodded.

"Very well, follow me then."

Once more, Julian was led through the labyrinth that was Lazarin. The corridors all looked the same, with no painting or visible mark on the walls to orient yourself.

"Confusing, isn't it?" commented his guide. "You get used to it after a while… Now, did you happen to hear about the article concerning the addition of dragon blood to that poison…"

The two men were soon engrossed in their discussion as they walked to the dining rooms, a requirement of the Dark Lord to increase the unity of his men.

They were among the last to enter, still discussing rather heatedly a particular point made in a recent publication. The room was big, bigger than Hogwarts' Great Hall, if what Julian had read was anything to go by. Several long tables, each surrounded by high-backed chairs, were ranged across the room. The stone walls were covered with ancient looking tapestries depicting war-related, historical scenes or various crests. Several large windows allowed light in.

Julian followed the older man as Devlin walked to a table on the right side of the main table, situated on a stage, where a few men dressed in dark robes trimmed with silver were discussing quietly. Devlin gestured to the young man to take a seat and then settled next to him, still defending his point of view.

The massive carved doors banged open and three people came into view. As one, every men and women in the room stood up and dropped to one knee, head bowed. Following their lead, Julian extended his magical awareness towards those standing in the doorframe.

Two vampires that felt familiar and one powerful wizard. One _hell_ of a powerful wizard.

"Rise."

They all obeyed and Julian had to suppress a sigh of relief. That bloody stone floor was uncomfortable. Still standing, as was everyone in the room, he appraised the three newcomers.

The wizard was Lord Voldemort. He remembered the man from the time when he came to see his master. He was wearing obviously tailored green robes, embroidered with silver and black designs. A large snake was slithering at his feet. Julian looked at the reptile with interest. He had had to leave his own snakes at his Master's manor where the elves had been given strict orders concerning their diets. Voldemort's two companions each wore black pants and a tunic with open dark blood red robes, the raised hood concealing their features.

Julian, however, recognized the crest adorning their robes easily as they passed him. Their auras were also a definite give-away. A small smile made his lips twitch as he hid his aura, knowing he would be recognized otherwise.

Voldemort and his guests finally sat down followed by all the other occupants of the room as food appeared on the tables.

Throughout the whole dinner, Julian kept up with his argument with Devlin. He was no stranger to debating. It was a game he and his mentor often indulged in. Yet at the same time, he spiked his aura from time to time, amused to see the heads of both vampires shoot up whenever he did so.

Finally as they finished with their dessert, he spiked his aura but did not hide it afterwards. With a small smirk, he watched as the vampires looked around, definitely looking annoyed. They locked gazes with him and he raised an eyebrow.

Both of them raised their hands and lowered their hoods. One of them was clearly younger looking than the other. Both of them had light brown hair reaching their shoulder blades. The more youthful one had dark green eyes while his older companion had greyish-blue ones. Both of them shared the same aristocratic looks and pale skin. The younger one spoke quietly to his companion who looked at Julian with piercing eyes.

Slowly, Death Eaters started to leave the room, talking lowly. When Devlin asked Julian if he was coming with him, the raven-haired wizard shook his head, saying he needed to talk to someone before he retired for the night. Soon, the only ones remaining were the Inner Circle members, the Vampires, Voldemort and him.

Judging that no unwanted people were still around and drawing the attention of those seating at the Head table, the younger vampire walked up to Julian who had been reading some of his notes over a particular experiment. He stopped in front of the young wizard.

"I should have guessed it was you…"

Julian smirked at him, eyes showing his amusement. "You must be getting sloppy with the years if you did not sense me sooner…"

The vampire rolled his eyes. "As if I could have unless you wanted to… Nobody could hide auras better than you," he replied in a huff.

"You're not still irked about that, aren't you? How are you, by the way?"

The vampire plopped into the chair next to him. "You would know if you had bothered answering the letters I sent you."

The young wizard sent him an exasperated look. "I would have if I had known where you lived and if Hedwig had not refused to carry letters to you."

"That bloody owl has still her feathers ruffled about that?"

Julian laughed. "Well, nearly ending as a snack will do that to an owl."

The vampire joined him quickly.

"So, Evan, how is life treating you? Or should I say how is death treating you?" repeated Julian.

The young vampire sent him a satisfied smirk.

"Good, good…" Smugness spread on his face as he smiled at Julian. "I was designated as my father's heir last Sahmain. I must say, the look on my brothers' faces alone made it worthwhile... That reminds me, will you stand with me for the Acknowledgement?"

Julian nodded, smiling. "Of course, you dolt, did you even have to ask? By the way, I have your shipment ready. Send some of your men to fetch it next week, alright?"

"I'll tell my father, same time?"

Julian nodded, closing his journal to which Evan shot a quick look, shaking his head.

"Still a bookworm, I guess things don't change that much. Do you have news of Oreale?"

The young wizard shrugged. "I received a letter a week ago, her pack is moving up North for the coming months, something to do with the ritual fight for leadership."

The vampire frowned. "She'll be there for our annual gathering at Shades?"

The smirk on his human friend's face was answer enough. "She better not hear you say that. As if any alumni would miss this day..."

"True," replied Evan, "By the way, do you want to come with us tonight? We're hitting Sins with Moreen, Kale, Reana and Auguste."

Julian sighed. "I'd have liked to, but I need to be at my master's manor tomorrow morning for my isolation..."

"Your Coming?"

Julian rolled his eyes. "No, I just fancied locking myself up for a few days. You know… just for the kick of it."

Evan was looking at him with worried eyes, ignoring his friend's sarcasm. "Do you need some of us to be here?"

Julian sighed. "I'd rather not. It won't be safe for anybody to be nearby... You remember what old Zoar said."

The vampire nodded. "Alright, but call me if you need help."

"That implies that I'll be able to call for help...," retorted Julian.

"You're not helping, Julian..."

The young mortal smiled genuinely. "I'll promise I'll call you as soon as this is over and then we can go hit Sins together..."

Evan reluctantly returned his friend's smile.

Julian finally stood up. "I need my rest, so I think I'll call it a night. Not everyone is gifted with your sleeping habits..."

Evan rolled his eyes. "Not like I can do anything about it…"

Julian stood up, smoothing his robes. "It was good to see you Evan, take care of yourself and call me should you require help."

"Ever modest, what makes you think that I'll need help? Don't forget about the ceremony, I'm counting on you to be there…"

"When will it take place?"

"In a month, I'll send an escort for you. I assume you'll dress accordingly."

The young man nodded, a faint smile on his lips. "I'll be there, just make sure your people will be warned that I'm not part of the snacks… We wouldn't want a repeat of my last visit," he said, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Evan laughed with mirth. "By the Goddess, I wouldn't mind another show, but I'm not sure the others would… You do realize that some of them are still talking about that…"

Julian smirked smugly. "I hope so…" He yawned. "Well, I'm going. Take care, Evan."

"You too Julian, may the Goddess watch your steps."

"May she guide you in the Shadows."

Both placed their hands over their hearts and tilted their upper body forward.

Having done that, Julian straightened himself and headed for the door. After a few steps, he stopped and dug in his pocket, taking out a vial filled with a thick, dark ruby red liquid. Turning sharply on his heels, he threw it at Evan.

"Catch!"

He then walked out of the room, footsteps silent, as he merged with the shadows.

Smiling slightly as he looked at the vial, Evan walked back to the High table to sit next to his Sire.

"Will he come?"

Evan nodded, as he took a sip from Julian's vial. Immediately he felt a rush of power course through him, leaving him positively giddy and as alive as he could feel. Wizard's blood willingly given… Nothing tasted sweeter to a vampire.

Corking the vial, he carefully placed it in one of his pockets. "He will, we'll just have to send men for him and warn the clans of his arrival. By the way, the next shipment is ready."

The elder vampire smiled, a proud and satisfied look in his eyes as he could feel the power flowing from his heir.

"Very good, I'll send Markus and his men to fetch it."

A soft cough interrupted them.

"Forgive me, Princeps, but I was not aware that you knew one of my servants," said the Dark Lord, curiosity gleaming in his crimson eyes. He had followed the interaction between the Princeps' heir and the teen who had been debating with Devlin for the whole meal.

Devlin rarely deemed people worthy enough to debate with him, particularly when it came to Potions. That alone spoke volumes for the young man. But the fact that he knew the Princeps' heir as well as he seemed to, was intriguing if not worrisome. The vampires were picky with those they mingled with.

Evan raised an eyebrow. "And I was not aware that Julian Richards pledged himself to you."

The Dark Lord frowned. Indeed, he couldn't remember any recent inductee with that name. However, he had heard it before. That did nothing to reassure him. He didn't need a rebellion among his servants. That boy would have to be watched closely and disposed of should he be a threat to his authority.

"He has not pledged himself to me yet, that is true. Could you, however, tell me how you came to know of that young man?" Voldemort was careful to keep his tone conversational. Vampires were easily offended and he wanted their support in the war. It was worth sacrificing part of his pride when dealing with them…

Evan shot a look at his father who nodded. "He went to Nightshades with me and I was assigned as his mentor." He omitted to mention that Julian had graduated with him, having skipped two years.

The Dark Lord frowned…. Richards, Nightshades…. Potions…

"He is Severus' apprentice."

Small gasps were heard from several Inner Circle members.

Evan smirked. "If you meant Potions Master Severus Snape, then, yes, Julian is apprenticing under him."

The Princeps rose to his feet, blood red robes rippling as he moved. "My son and I have business calling us away. You will have our answer in the coming weeks."

Voldemort nodded, thanking the two vampires for coming at his request.

As soon as the two of them had disappeared through the shadows, the Dark Lord turned towards his Inner Circle, his tone chilling and his eyes icy.

"I want everything known concerning that Julian Richards and I want it quickly. Lucius, fire call Severus if needed, but I'd like to keep this inquiry as quiet as possible."

That said, Voldemort stood up and walked out of the room, heading for his own quarters, trying to recall what Severus had told him about the boy during his visit to the man that had been his right hand. _The boy was intriguing and familiar at the same time._

Well, time would tell who this Julian Richards was, but until then, he would keep a close eye on him.

After all, any wizard who could be that close to vampires was a potential threat and Voldemort had not become a Dark Lord to _not_ take the possibility of an upstart wannabe Dark Lord seriously.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 

Well, done for now, next chapter: Harry's coming of Age, Voldemort looks for answers, some Vampire interactions and action, more about Hogwarts, Dumbledore and Neville and more about Nightshades and his peers during the annual reunion of Nightshades alumi.

Some answers:

The issue reguarding Harry's Hogwarts' letter will be addressed in the next chapter.

This is not a Severitus story. Snape will be a mentor of the snarky snappy sort to Julian, he won't turn to be his father.

Naia


	3. Inquiries

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you'll recognize.

A/N: Thanks to all those who reviewed, your comments and ideas are always welcomed. Thanks also to Eve and Stormfirearia for betaing this chapter.

I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.

Naia

Chapter Three

Julian managed to find his room quickly, having summoned a house elf as his mentor had told him to do. He quickly disrobed, only keeping on boxers, before going to the bathroom and then to bed. His sleep was restless, as it had been for the past week. With his Coming approaching, his magic was getting wilder and less and less manageable.

Dawn broke and he was roused by another elf who brought a light breakfast like he had asked. Making sure he hadn't forgotten anything, he decided to see Master Devlin before leaving. After all, staying on good terms with a famed Potions Master could only be an advantage to him.

After having dressed in plain grey robes trimmed in white and tying his hair back, he followed the house-elf's directions to the Potion laboratory, ignoring the few people he met.

Knocking, he waited for permission before stepping in. Devlin was leaning over a smoking cauldron, intent on his experimenting.

"Master Devlin?" His voice was soft but carried easily across the room.

"Yes?" snapped the old man, looking up. "Oh! Come here boy; better make yourself useful while you're here. I need you to whip me a good Tempering solution quickly."

Putting on apron, gloves and goggles, Julian approached the worktable.

"St. Armand's solution or Derinal's?"

"St. Armand, but don't use newt eyes."

"The Orien's Swap."

"Yes, good. Now be quick."

Julian took a knife, mortar, scales, a few beakers and cylinders. Carefully weighing and measuring the ingredients, he quickly prepared the desired solution.

"Good." Devlin took his brew and added it cautiously to his simmering experiment. "Excellent, we shall see the results after a few hours of simmering and a decanting."

Putting up some wards and a timer, he took off his protection and turned to the younger man.

"What brought you here at this hour? Lord knows, none of my apprentices will be up."

"I wished to bid you good bye before leaving," said Julian.

Devlin rolled his eyes.

"Definitely Severus' boy. But I must ask you to stop by here should you come back. It will be a definite change to have someone intelligent to discuss with." That was said with such arrogance that Julian blinked but dismissed it quickly. His own Master behaved in the same way.

"I must take my leave, Master Devlin; it was a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"You didn't turn out to be a complete idiot, even if your manners are as stuffy as that old bat Severus."

Julian bowed his head.

"Good day to you, Master Devlin."

"Yeah, yeah. Good day to you, apprentice. Now leave me; I have work to do before the idiots I took as apprentices arrive."

Julian nodded and left quietly. Summoning a house-elf again, he asked for directions to the Floo connections and managed not to get lost on his way. With small tilt of his head, he passed the Death Eaters guarding them and took a pinch of Floo powder, throwing it into the flames.

The fire turned green and roared. Walking into the hearth, he calmly uttered his destination.

"Snape Manor"

Twirling through the Floo system, he kept his limbs close to his body as he waited for his stop. He smoothly stepped out of Snape Manor's large fireplace. With a few sweeps of his hands, he got rid of the soot staining his robes, and took off his cloak.

Tugging on a hidden rope beside the fireplace mantel, he waited for a house-elf, trying to decide on what he would do.

A small pop alerted him of the creature's arrival. Julian raised an eyebrow as he took in the obviously healthy servant, dressed in a strict black and green outfit. His Master did not believe in bullying those creatures and dressing them in rags to degrade them. Those little buggers could be right pains if they wanted to; there was no need to antagonize them any more than necessary.

"Master Julian, how may Sary serve Master Julian?"

"Take my bags and cloak to my rooms. I will have my dinner there. Then have the labs readied for me."

The tiny creature nodded and levitated Julian's bags to his room before popping away. The young man looked around. The room had not changed. Like many prominent families, Snape had a special chamber made for Flooing in and out. The room was heavily warded and trapped. Any person entering it without having been keyed in first would be knocked out and trapped in the room until someone came to release them. Julian knew the wards well enough and was aware of the power it would take to break them in order to escape. He knew of very few wizards that could. From what he could observe while at Lazarin, Voldemort and a few others seemed to have the capacity. Probably, Dumbledore as well. From what he'd heard of the man, he would be powerful enough.

The room was bare except for the pull rope used to call house-elves. He walked out and down the corridors to the room he'd been given during his previous stays when his Master had wanted him out of the way to work on more volatile and dangerous potions. The Manor's construction went back to the medieval times and had been renovated as the years passed. It was built in stone, keeping the atmosphere cool during the summers but chilly in the winter, necessitating large fireplaces. Many portraits of past Lord Snapes were hanging on the walls, snapping at those passing, questioning or disparaging them with the sharp tongue that seemed characteristic of the line. Tapestries, crests, flags, and cases with exposed swords, other weapons and trophies won by Snapes as well as artefacts the family had acquired and passed on through the past centuries, adorned the halls. It was an impressive place but a lonely one.

The Snape family had been reduced to Severus Snape, two sisters who were already married and living abroad and a brother working in Germany. Their parents had passed away during the first war against Voldemort and Severus Snape had inherited of the title of Lord and the Manor.

Finally, he reached his suite. A heavy wooden door with a silver doorknob shaped like a snake's head, fangs bared as if about to strike. Taking out his wand, he placed it between the jaws. A click was heard as the door glowed with a discreet green light. Julian pushed the door open and entered. His suite included only two rooms: a bedroom and a workroom. The bathroom was situated two doors to the right. A few tapestries and torches decked the walls, softening and brightening the room's atmosphere. The colour scheme was brown, green and beige, something Julian was satisfied with. The green and silver in his rooms at Lazarin had been a bit too much, as had been the snake thing.

He _did_ love snakes, after all he was a Parselmouth and snakes were always interesting to talk with; they always had things to say and most of them loved to exchange information.

Going to his bedroom he saw that the house-elf had already unpacked his bag, but had left the potions and ingredients along with the weapons and books where they were. All of them had been ordered not to touch any of those.

Shedding his outer robes, he took the case with his daggers and his sheathed sword before heading for the duelling rooms. It really had been a long time since he'd practised.

The duelling rooms featured a large duelling ring and four smaller ones for practice. Several targets that could be animated were placed against a wall. There was also a set of dummies which could be used for training, each varying in strength and abilities.

A few tables were placed against a far wall, together with a cluster of shelves containing many useful tomes about duelling. Julian placed his case on a flat surface and opened it, revealing two daggers. He took one, examining it carefully. The weapon was as long as his forearm, with a handle that was simple but elegant, embellished only with the crest of Evan's clan. The twin blades were perfectly balanced, and imbued with many enchantments of both wizard and vampiric magic. Along with the sword, they were Julian's favorite weapons.

Taking both daggers in his hands, he twirled them expertly and handled them slowly at first, then more swiftly. After warming up for twenty minutes, he went to a dummy specializing with blades and set it up to an average level.

For the next three hours, Julian worked himself out. This had been one of the recommendations from one of the Nightshades' Masters. Zoar had been an Ancient Vampire who had seen and learnt a lot throughout the centuries, making him exceedingly cynical and sarcastic. He particularly delighted in startling his students by soundlessly coming out of the shadows and straight into the torches' light, making his unnatural white skin stand out against his long ebony tresses and black outfit. Most of the time, he had his fangs bared and his angular but aristocratic features twisted in a stormy expression. Very few students dared to approach him, and those few brave or foolish enough to do so were more often than not very harshly rebuked. Ancient Zoar always took a handful of youths as his protégés and Julian had been among those hand-picked by the Immortal. He was a downright horrible person when it came to socializing, and was an exceptionally hard taskmaster, but Julian couldn't deny the fact that the man had forced his lessons in his mind and made sure he would remember them.

The old Vampire had been _clear_, if Julian wanted to lessen the pain aspect of his Coming, he would have to wear himself out as much as possible. It would lower his magical reserves and innate resistance, making it easier on him.

After cleaning the daggers meticulously and putting them back to their cases, he took his sword, warmed up for a few minutes then set up the dummy again, this time for sword fighting. After two more hours and a ten minute break, he stretched and changed outfits before starting on magical duelling. For more than half the night, he cast spell after spell, curse after curse, battling up to three dummies at the same time, seeking complete and total oblivion in exhaustion. Barely able to stand, he returned to his room around four in the morning, setting his alarm clock for seven. His Coming would take place the next day's evening and Julian had set up a nice little schedule which would ensure that he would be thoroughly emptied of any energy.

The next day passed in a blur of training for the young apprentice. He only allowed himself a few moments of respite to prevent himself from passing out. Finally, after drinking a potion his old teacher had made for this occasion, Julian headed for the warded room that he and his Master had set up for this night.

This room was situated in the basement at the exact center of all the Manor's wards. Snape had spent two days strengthening the already existing protections and had added several layers more to contain Julian's magic during his Coming and dampen it enough so it wouldn't be sensed by either Voldemort or Dumbledore, both of whom were powerful enough to feel the disturbance this would create. The room was circular, with only a bed, a chair, a table, a clock, as well as a bell to summon a house-elf.

Julian made sure everything was ready, checking on the shields and wards several times to reassure himself. Sighing, and hoping he hadn't forgotten anything, he took off his clothes, slipping under the bed covers completely naked; his body screaming with every move. He was sore and completely drained by all the practice he had done. Sleep however eluded him as he waited for midnight to strike. He had to admit he was quite worried, even when he knew what was going to happen and assumed the process would be quite painful.

Shifting restlessly, he kept on glancing at the clock, getting antsier as the minutes passed.

Only one more minute, thirty seconds, twenty, ten, five, four, three, two, one… Bracing himself, he waited for the pain to come, closing his eyes as he did so.

Nothing happened. Shifting a little, he waited a few more minutes. But still… nothing.

Frowning, he made to sit, only to fall back, teeth gritted as pain spread through him and through his whole body. He was writhing on the bed, trying to escape vainly from the pain coursing through him. It felt like acid eating him from the inside. Rationally, he knew that his magic was creating new channels for its use and to accommodate his increased power, _but it hurt, it hurt so bad!_

He hadn't uttered a sound since his Coming had started, but couldn't bite back a scream as he felt like his skin was being peeled from his body inch by inch. He trashed from side to side, trying to find some respite but failed. His blood seemed to be on fire as magic ate its way through him. The air seemed to pulse as the magic around him reacted to his own. The feeling of acid running though his veins dulled and Julian tried to catch his breath; only to have it knocked out of him as more magic coursed through, rushing to feel the empty gap created.

Julian screamed, arching off the bed, mouth wide open in a silent scream as power filled him. It seemed to go on for an eternity though in reality it was but only minutes. Air crackled round him, his eyes nearly glowing with all the magic flowing through his body. Julian was past any kind of thinking, the only thing going through his mind was that he _wanted_ this to end one way or another. Suddenly, everything stopped, but the pain did not subside. The young wizard's magic was now trying to change the additional power and make it _his_. It was said: the more power one has, the more painful and violent the change.

The young man had no warning as he felt himself explode. Though he couldn't see nor feel it as he passed out, a silent magical explosion, with him as focus, occurred in the room, barely restrained by the heavy wards surrounding the Manor and those that had been added. The magical barrier buckled under the pressure, only restraining the surge by sheer miracle.

In his laboratory in the Ython compound, the Potions Master felt something stir within him as his wards were assaulted by what he assumed was his apprentice's magic.

He shuddered. He could only start to imagine the power the boy could wield if what he was feeling was only the echo of its attack on the Manor's wards. After a few minutes, the feeling receded and he made a note to check on the boy himself first thing in the morning. The wards would have warned him should the brat be in any kind of lethal danger. He could finish this Potion before checking on his charge. The boy could take care of himself.

Back at the Manor, Julian laid on the bed, unconscious, his magic gently pulsating around him.

O> O> O> O> O> O> O> O> O> O> O> O> O> O> O> O> O> O> O> O>

Julian was startled out of his black oblivion by an insistent shaking. He did not think, and flung whoever had been touching him across the room. A high-pitched squeak echoed in the room as Julian sat abruptly, eyes scanning the room and falling on a cowering house-elf.

"What are you doing here?" Julian's eyes widened as he felt his magic crackle around him.

"Sary is sorry Master Julian! Sary is sorry! Bad Sary!" The creature was twisting her ears ferociously. "But Master Julian told Sary to wake Master Julian at dawn."

Rolling his eyes, the young man stretched, wincing as his body screamed at him. With a wince, he tried to find a part of his body that wasn't painful. No such luck.

Getting a bit fed up by the thumps of the house-elf's head hitting the wall, he turned annoyed eyes towards the servant.

"Stop that nonsense this instant!" he snapped. "I seem to recall giving you specific orders for this morning, so instead of bashing your head like the idiotic creature you are, I expect you to fulfil those orders and not to laze around," he uttered with a cutting tone. Both his Master and him despised the servility displayed by most of the house-elves and preferred a silent and calm efficiency from their servants. Most of the Snape house-elves adopted this attitude after a few months of service. Julian guessed Sary was a new addition to the staff.

Sary starred at him, golden golf ball-like eyes widening as she popped out of the room.

Julian fell back against the pillows, sighing. Closing his eyes, he felt his inner magic, stunned by the power churning inside him. So this is what Zoar was talking about? The young man raised his wand he'd placed under his mattress and could nearly see the magic crackling around him. Sweeping the room with his gaze, his eyes fell on the chair.

Raising his wand, he thought of summoning the piece of furniture and was about to utter the words when the chair came zooming at full speed towards him. Ducking the flying chair, he watched with disbelieving eyes as it crashed into the wall, bits of woods flying everywhere.

Stunned, the young wizard thought of repairing the completely destroyed piece of furniture and couldn't believe his eyes as the wooden shards started to piece themselves back together.

Deciding not to ponder on this problem for now, he waited for the house-elf to come back.

A soft pop warned him of her arrival.

"Sary brought everything Master Julian asked for." The elf pushed the tray next to Julian and watched nervously as the young apprentice peered at the vials.

He downed the first two that would get rid of pain, soreness and stabilize his magic and new magical channels. He debated whether or not taking the third one and decided against it for now; he wasn't really in need of the blood replenishing one, though he gulped the mild healing draught. He took the folded clothes and put on the loose shirt and pants before digging into the light breakfast he had ordered the house-elf in the kitchen to ready for him: some fruits, vegetables, water and cereals.

Having done that, he got up and stretched a bit. Then, he checked his Occlumency walls, and reinforced them as well as his Dissolvency shields. Dissolvency was a derivation of Occlumency applied to magic. It was used to mask someone's real power, dampening it to others' perception. Once he was sure all his shields were secured, he dispelled all the wards on the rooms and left it, heading for the bathroom next to his rooms. He locked the door and undressed, stopping in front a mirror, eyebrows raised at the slight changes in his appearance.

He hadn't grown all that much, two or three centimeters at the most. His muscles were a bit more apparent but not enough to hinder him or slow him down. The scars littering his body had faded even more. Studying his face, he noticed his face was thinner, cheekbones slightly higher, ears a bit more pointed. His eyes were the same green color, and if it was possible, even more striking than before. His hair had lengthened overnight which was strange since he couldn't recall ever needing to cut it. It now reached down his shoulder blades and was a deep raven black color with some discreet auburn highlights that were barely visible even in the light.

He had taken time to check on his ancestry the day before, to know what to expect. Apparently the Potters were an ancient family that had interbred with some magical creatures. There had been several elves, centuries ago, and one Veela. The Elven ancestry was the more prominent one in the Potter line. His mother had been Muggle-born, so the research had been short on that side. Apparently, he had an aunt on his mother's side living in Surrey and he found several distant relatives on his father's side, living in America or Canada.

Undressing quickly, he entered the shower and washed himself, relishing the hot water pounding on his body and working out the last kinks the potion hadn't relieved.

He took his time, for one not pressed to hurry to follow his Master's orders. Finally, he went out and took a towel, drying himself, looking for the clothes he'd placed there the previous evening.

Spotting them he put them on: black boxers, black slacks, green shirt, black belt, and black, white-trimmed robes. Tying his hair back, he fastened his watch on his left wrist and his holster on his right forearm, securing his wand in it.

Looking in the mirror, he checked his appearance one more time and took out his wand, readjusting his clothes a little.

"You look lovely, young man. My, if I was just a few centuries younger…" the mirror said in a simpering tone.

Rolling his eyes at the blatant flattery, Julian left the room, heading for the living room. The only sign of his surprise at seeing his Master sitting at the main table, sipping tea and reading the newspaper was a slight widening of the eyes.

"Good morning, apprentice, I trust your night was profitable," he said, never looking up from his paper.

"Master," saluted the young man.

"Drop your shield, I warded the room," ordered the dark-haired man.

Knowing better than refusing, Julian lowered his Dissolvency walls, allowing his full power to seep through.

Snape raised an eyebrow, inwardly impressed and rejoicing at having such power under his command.

"Impressive… Any change in your spell casting?"

The young wizard nodded. Raising his wand, he thought of a simple Lumos charm.

A blinding light erupted from the tip of his wand, like a small sun.

He quickly ended the charm, blinking.

The Potions Master waited a few moments before speaking up, inwardly shaken by this display and trying his hardest not to show it.

"We are going to work on your control immediately; you can't show above average signs of your Coming, unless you wish to attract the Dark Lord's attention."

Julian frowned but didn't answer. However Snape knew that being in the limelight was the last thing on his mind.

"What should I do, Master?"

"First of all, you have to start on the basics again; I assume you went through them at Nightshades." The man paused, pondering over a question that had been nagging at him since his apprentice's display of power.

"Can you do wandless magic?" Snape was curious. Wandless magic was a myth among wizards, something not even Dumbledore or Voldemort could do.

Shrugging, Julian raised his hand and whispered a soft '_Wingardium Leviosa'_, while pointing at a plate.

Nothing happened; the plate trembled slightly, but didn't move.

"It moved?"

Snape frowned, looking at the plate intently.

"I don't think so; it must be the power coming from you and not the actual spell."

"How so?"

"Curious, apprentice?"

Julian nodded.

"Simply because it was more likely accidental magic than focused spell casting." He gestured to the fallen glasses, and the silverware which had been moved around.

"Now, however, you need not start thinking about a myth. What you need to do is train and get your powers under control."

Snape stood in one smooth movement.

"I trust you will able to do that on your own without supervision. I will be at the compound should you require assistance."

Julian raised his eyebrow, his Master offering help?

Snape shot him a sardonic smile.

"However, I would appreciate it if you only did so as a last resort. I don't want to be bothered with your petty problems."

He walked to the door, taking his cloak and fastening it to his shoulders.

"Come back to the compound once you have your powers under control. I will be working on experiments and you will work on your thesis in the secondary lab. I'm reminding you that you're expected to hand it in by the end of the year. "

The young man bowed deeply as his Master turned on his heels and stalked out of the living room, cloak billowing in his wake. He took the newspaper the Potion Master had left behind and skimmed the front page: 'Rise of the Prices.' 'Capture of Dangerous Terrorists in London's Ruins.' 'Invasion of France and Germany Progressing.' 'Mysterious Disappearance of High Ranked Death Eaters' with a reward for any information. All in all, nothing new. Folding it neatly, he placed it back on the table and left the room for the duelling and practice chambers. Once there, he walked to the targets and first started on focusing. It meant controlling the amount of power circulating through him and his wand.

It was a tedious and slow process, but will surely pay off in the end. Instead of diving head-first into the actual practice, he would first acquire a good focus that would greatly simplify the actual casting.

He willed his magic through his arm and into his wand without thinking of a particular spell, much like the wand makers did when selling wands to their customers, or so he had been told. All the Nightshades students had to make their wand by themselves. The school offered a large selection of woods and cores and were instructed on the process; but the actual making was up to them. He absently fingered the fine carvings in his own wand. He had trouble finding the right components but his snakes had helped him. They seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to magic and Julian had often relied on their advice when confronted with a problem.

In the end, he had chosen a careful balance between yew and holly with a core made of a unicorn hair soaked in phoenix tears and dragon blood. Very few people knew of his wand's components and he wanted it to stay that way.

Finally, after six hours of working on his focus he felt confident enough to start casting weak and simple spells. The next three hours were spent levitating various weights, lighting and shutting off his wand tip, opening and locking locks before he moved to more and more complex charms, then hexes, jinxes, curses, shields and enchantments.

It was nearly dusk when he felt that he'd gained back a good enough control on his powers. Sweating, he went to take a shower, before heading for the dining room where he ordered a light dinner for two. As the house-elf popped out of the room, he took out a thin chain from under his shirt and pressed his forefinger in the centre of the small crest-like pendant, not even wincing as the small pique hidden there pierced his skin.

He waited quietly, knowing the wards around the house would not keep an uninvited Vampire out. After three minutes, a figure walked out of the shadows on his right. Julian raised a glass filled with an amber liquid.

"Good evening, Evan. Take a seat, dinner should be ready quickly."

The young Vampire, dressed in black slacks and a white poet shirt, rolled his eyes as he seated himself in front of his friend.

"You were supposed to call me this morning, Julian," he said, pouring himself a glass.

"Why? Were you worried?"

The Vampire raised an eyebrow.

"I was. You have to admit that you have a tendency to attract problems and complications."

Julian snorted.

"I won't even answer that…"

They stayed silent for a moment before Evan spoke again.

"You did not change that much… Given the warnings you received, I had thought it would be more noticeable." He paused a few seconds, looking the young mortal up and down. "You have some elven blood in you; that would explain the spicy flavor of your blood, however faint it is."

Julian nodded.

"Yes"

"That shows a little, but not enough to be really obvious. The hair suits you, I must say. What of your magic?"

The young wizard smirked and dropped all his shields and Dissolvency walls, letting his friend feel his magic unhindered.

The Vampire's eyes widened as the power exuding from the small human mortal in front of him reached his own and gently glided around him. Fascinated, he watched as silver lines appeared on Julian's forearms, crossing and intertwining with each other. After a few seconds, Julian, called his magic back and raised his shields.

Evan tilted his head. He forced himself not to show any fear, no matter how much his friend had unsettled him.

"Impressive, Julian."

"So I thought," calmly answered the young man and taking a sip of his drink. Before anyone could say more, dinner appeared on the table and they both started to eat.

They finished quite quickly since Julian had asked for a light meal. The young apprentice put his silverware down and snapped his fingers. A bottle of wine and another filled with ruby liquid appeared on the table.

Evan raised a puzzled eyebrow.

"It's human blood, if you're wondering… A gift from Manik."

The Vampire smiled, and poured himself a glass, sipping it slowly.

"That was nice of him…," he said, smirking, ignoring the snort from his friend. Both of them were aware that the young Enthraller was working in a blood club and had little trouble getting access to human blood.

"Anyway Markus and his men will come for the shipment on Friday night."

Julian nodded.

"I'll have it ready for them. Do remind them to be careful."

"They know, don't worry."

Evan sipped on his glass, looking at his friend.

"Julian, Voldemort is asking for the Vampires' support in the war. He has made an offer my Father is finding difficult to refuse."

Julian raised his eyebrow.

"I don't see how your decision involves me."

Evan smirked.

"Julian… don't play the oblivious card. You are apprenticing under a Death Eater who happens to be one of the Dark Lord's most trusted men. But you also happen to have a strong history with the Light side."

Julian's face became a stony mask.

"Really?"

"Your blood told us many things, Julian, or should I _say_ Harry Potter?" Evan shot him a smug smile.

Julian put down his glass.

"So you know." He turned his unnerving green eyes towards the Vampire. "What are you going to do about it?" there was no mistaking the underlying threat in his voice.

Evan sipped his glass again.

"Nothing. Nobody except my Father, a Blood mage and I know of your former identity. But to us you are Julian Richards. Your birth name matters very little. We only want to know your position on this war."

Julian frowned.

"I don't understand. This piece of information would gain you the favor of whatever side you choose to align yourself with."

Evan smiled, showing his fangs.

"My father and I consider you an ally if not a friend, Julian. Names do not mean a lot to us but power does. You _are_ powerful, even more now that you came into your full potential. We know that whatever side you should choose to join will probably win."

Julian snorted.

"Flattery does not become you, Evan. But to answer your question, I am my own man. I will not join a side unless I'm given a damned good reason."

Evan smirked.

"Nice thought, but it seems a bit utopic to me. You will be pressured to join a side. Once Voldemort gets the full measure of your potential, he will not rest until he has your allegiance or your dead corpse."

Julian narrowed his eyes.

"You are my friend, Evan, and you have my support. But I will do everything I can _not_ to have to choose a side."

"Not even for revenge?" shot the young Vampire.

The young wizard looked at him expectantly.

"Revenge on the Dark Lord for your parents' murder." Evan did not look away from his friend's eyes.

Julian smiled derisively.

"That would be stupid and you know better than that, Evan. My parents died like many during the previous war; that they were killed in their house instead of on the field changes nothing. It was a war and people die. I won't throw my life away for revenge." He smirked. "Does that answer your question?"

Evan laughed.

"Quite. I didn't expect anything less from you. But to close that subject, I'll give you fair warning. Be careful with Voldemort. He didn't miss our interaction yesterday. Surely he'll inquire about you, as well as keep an eye on."

Julian shrugged.

"I wish him luck in his inquiry, between my Master and Headmaster Karal, he will not learn much." He had a devious smile stretching on his face at the idea of Death Eaters questioning their former Headmaster.

His smile was returned by the Vampire.

"Indeed. Speaking of Nightshades, the gathering will take place during the equinox. I received the invitation, so you should get yours soon."

"It will be good to see everyone again."

Evan nodded.

"It will; you're also invited to Moreen's bonding."

Julian looked at him, surprised.

"Really?"

Evan nodded, smiling.

"Yes, she was promised to a member of the Kerarnek clan, a lieutenant from their Elite guard called Arthen. They made their promise after Arthen came back from Nightshades and Moreen was in her first year."

"That's why she nearly castrated Ovou when he approached a little too close."

Evan smirked.

"You have to admit it was funny."

Julian rolled his eyes.

"I admit, I never thought a guy's voice could be that high-pitched."

"Well, the ceremony will take place on Saturday. She wants you, Kal, Reana, Auguste, Oreale, Thynan, Xavier, Violaine and Selene there."

The young human looked up, eyes not betraying anything.

"Everyone will come?"

Evan nodded.

"So, will you come?"

The young wizard looked at his glass.

"Of course I will. I trust you already took dispositions?"

"Markus and his men will come on Friday for the shipment. If it's alright with you, you will accompany them back to our Manor where you will spend the night."

"That's okay with me."

"Good, this way, we'll be able to do something other than what will be expected of you during the Acknowledgement ceremony."

Silence settled in the room as both finished their glass. Evan put it back on the table, sighing quietly.

"That was good; now, can I tempt you with a night at Sins?" The young Vampire was looking at him with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

Sins was a nightclub mostly frequented by Vampires, though wizards and witches who were already used to dealing with Immortals, were also often seen there. Sins had only one rule: as soon as you stepped inside the building, no fighting was allowed. Nobody wanted the authorities to come and look too closely at the deals going on in the club.

"Who else will be there?"

Evan shrugged.

"Reana and Kal probably will. And I heard that Xavier and Violaine would also go out."

Julian looked at the clock and saw it was nearly midnight.

"Just leave me a moment to get dressed."

Evan nodded and watched his friend leave the room.

That had gone well. His father would be pleased. He would never be grateful enough to Headmaster Karal for having assigned him as Julian's mentor, though he'd wanted to strangle the Headmaster during the first two years.

He heard very faint footsteps as his friend came back. He looked up and saw Julian entering, dressed in black tight pants and an emerald dress shirt. Evan stood up, shrugged on his black cloak and watched as his friend did the same.

"Meet you at Sins," said Julian before fading away, using Shadow Drifting instead of Apparating.

Shadow Drifting was different from Apparating. While Apparating, you pushed your way straight from a place to another. Drifting took a bit more time but usually allowed one to pass through most of the wards, unless the ward was specially erected against Drifters. While drifting, you were merely shifting among the shadows to reach your destination. Another way to bar Shadow drifters was to block all shadows in a room, not an easy thing to do… Which made Drifting a useful way to travel. He reappeared in front of the club, hearing the faint beat of the music coming from the door. He sensed his friend arriving and made his way to the entrance.

The mountain of muscles nodded to them, recognizing their Nightshades' clasp and allowed them in.

Making their way through gyrating bodies, and nodding to some acquaintances, they headed for the booth reserved for Nightshades' graduates.

"Julian!"

The young man bowed curtly.

"Reana, it's good to see you."

The young Vampire rolled her eyes.

"Still as stuffy as usual, Julian; will it hurt you to relax for a while?"

Julian sat on the couch next to an amused Evan.

"Reana, just because you like… this kind of enjoyment, does not mean we do…"

A dark-haired, black-skinned young man, dressed in a white shirt and black pants rolled his eyes, and chucked an olive at him.

"Drop the act Julian. We all saw you at the graduation party… And how you danced with Orena," he drawled.

"No need to be jealous, my dear Xavier. You know I love you dear," purred the young wizard, batting his eyelashes, "but you're really not my type, I'm sorry."

The Chinese girl at Xavier's side placed her hand around the young man's waist.

"Back off, Jul. This one is mine!"

Julian raised his hands.

"Don't worry, Violaine, he's all yours!"

A young-looking Vampire with short platinum blond hair and hazel eyes entered the booth, carrying several drinks.

"Two Lamia's Dream, two Bloody Marys, one Black Death, a Psychedelic and I got you a Night Dream, Jul."

"Thanks Kal,"

All of them picked a glass and started to drink while talking quietly.

"So you're coming on Saturday?" asked Xavier.

Julian raised his eyes to the ceiling.

"As if Moreen would forgive me if I didn't… Evan told me everyone would be there."

"Yes, she wants to present Arthen to the group."

Julian looked in his glass, twirling his drink absentmindedly.

"Can we trust him?"

Reana shrugged.

"I don't know him that well; I say we have to reserve our judgement. Moreen said she would accept our decision."

The female Vampire downed the rest of her glass, licking a bloody drop on her lower lip before smiling at Julian.

"Now, can I have a dance, Jul?" she asked, purring, her blood red lips contrasting with her pale skin and ebony locks she gathered on the nape of her neck in a messy bun.

The young man got up and extended his hand which she took, curtsying. Soon they had joined the mass of bodies moving with the beat. Fifteen minutes later, Kal and Evan joined them, not really interested in watching Xavier and Violaine probing each other's throat.

They danced for a few hours before Julian retreated to the bar, ordering a drink and watching the pulsing mass of bodies pressing to each other.

He rolled his eyes when he saw Kal pressed against a female with a blood donor mark on her neck, grinding in sync. Kal was kissing her neck, his hands wandering over her body while she had her head thrown back, panting.

Julian shook his head, Vampire allure was a powerful thing and he could see how mortals could willingly desire to experience it all over again. As the barman handed him his drink, he watched as Kal, gently dragged the woman upstairs where the owners had many rooms available.

Evan sat next to him, taking a sip from his glass.

"Kal's libido is at it again; I don't think we'll see much of him for the rest of the night."

Julian shrugged.

"Its better he enjoys his freedom as much as he can, I heard his Sire is pressing more and more for a betrothal."

Evan nodded.

"True, but Kal has been able to avoid it for now…"

The rest of the night was spent drinking and dancing. Julian Drifted back to Snape Manor at the first rays of dawn, and went to bed, sleeping until noon.

Once up, he packed his bags and Flooed to the Ython compound where his Master was currently working, and after putting on a protective apron, gloves, boots and goggles, he went to the secondary labs and resumed his thesis' experiments. In the days that followed, he carefully avoided Snape, knowing the man's volatile temper when he was dealing with complex potions or tricky experiments. However on Friday morning, he found himself before the main lab's doors, knocking quietly and waiting for permission to enter.

A barked 'Enter' answered him.

He stepped in, careful to avoid bumping into anything.

"Oh, it's you! What is the matter?" snapped the potion Master, while chopping pale-coloured roots.

"I wish to request your permission to leave the compound for the weekend, Master."

From where he was, he could see the frown spreading on the man's face. He felt a forceful probe against his mind shield and strengthened them while gently pushing Snape out.

"Good, your Occlumency has vastly improved; now, care to tell me the reason behind this?"

"I'm invited to the bonding of one of my former classmates."

Severus' eyebrows climbed to his hairline.

"Is that so… Permission granted, apprentice, but I want you back on Monday morning, is that clear?"

Julian bowed.

"Thank you, Master."

"Yes, now, get out, I'm busy and I have no time to lose in meaningless babble." The Potions Master didn't look at him as he bowed again and left silently, already lost in the intricacies of brewing.

Julian spent the rest of the day organizing his notes and writing a partial draft of his thesis. He also cleaned his lab, knowing that no house-elf was permitted inside.

Markus and four other Vampires arrived around eleven o'clock. Julian stood up, dressed in dark green robes, his bags already secured in his pockets.

All five of them were dressed in black, silver and red: black pants, a blood red shirt, a black leather duster with silver handcuffs, collar and hem. The Princeps' crest was embroidered over their left breast and in the back.

"Sorcerer."

"Lieutenant," answered Julian, tilting his head forwards in salute.

"We can leave whenever you are ready," announced the soldier.

The young man nodded and walked to the five large boxes he had stored in a corner of the room.

"The boxes are here, I'll remind you to handle them carefully. They need to be jostled as little as possible."

Markus walked to the wooden cases and lifted one.

"Take one each; bring them to High Intendant Varek."

The four other Vampires bowed and silently took a box each before Drifting out of the compound.

"I'll come back to Drift you to the Princeps' Manor, Sorcerer."

Julian nodded, straightening his clothes as the five Vampires disappeared. No outsider of the Vampire community could be keyed in the Manor's wards. It was the law.

Markus came back and took Julian in his arms, concentrating and suddenly both of them disappeared from the lab. They reappeared on the front steps of the Princeps' home. Julian had already been invited once during his years at Nightshades and had met Evan's Family. The memory of his visit was still fresh on most vampires' minds and never failed to amuse Markus. He repressed a small smile upon recalling that particular night, it had been the first Solstice he had not been bored to tears by the celebrations...

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Since mortals were rarely allowed inside unless they were part of the meal or blood donors, Julian had been mistaken upon his arrival for a mere human and had been ushered in the blood chambers. He had been dressed in his Nightshades' uniform, but had concealed it under a heavy cloak, given that it was winter that time. Evan had invited him for the Solstice celebrations. He had been directed to the ballroom and watched as the other humans scattered in the room, slumping on the couches, stretching languorously on the sofas, talking quietly, straightening their clothes and jewels.

Julian had tightened his cloak around him, drawing it close to his body like a shield. Silently, he'd walked to a shadowed corner, next to a window, half hidden by the heavy curtains.

He had watched as Vampires started to fill the room, talking between them and shooting looks from time to time towards the human lounging around. An invisible orchestra had been playing softly, some Mozart- if he had not been mistaken. Suddenly a hush had spread upon the room (by then filled) and all heads turned to the staircases. The Princeps, his wife, three sons and only daughter had made their way down the stairs, the eyes of the elder Vampire sweeping the room. The young wizard had hidden his Aura the moment he had entered the Manor. Vampires tended to be extremely jumpy around wizards.

The Vampire had given a small speech, thanking all the clans' leaders for their presence before opening the Ball with his wife. Julian had watched, seemingly curious as more couples joined the Princeps, while others headed for the mortals and had drunk from them, sometimes alone, sometimes two or more at the same time. The humans had been writhing in orgasmic pleasure as the Immortals sucked the blood out of them. All the humans had been fed several potions to insure that none of them would die of blood loss, no matter how many times Vampires fed.

The wizard had been so intent on the scene that he had not noticed two Vampires approaching him. Two hands had circled his waist while two others had caressed his chest and pressed him to a hard cold chest. Stunned, the dark haired boy hadn't reacted for the first seconds, but as he felt cold lips on his neck he _acted_.

Flicking his hand, his wand had appeared in his hand and with a swish and a few muttered words, the two Vampires had been blasted meters away, drawing the attention of all present, among some surprised or startled cries. In the corner of his eyes, he had seen Evan repress a smile while making his way to the Mortal; the Princeps had been immediately surrounded by six guards dressed in black and red.

The two Vampires who had been knocked away had scrambled back to their feet and had been shooting venomous looks, fangs barred and unsheathing their blades.

"Who are you, wizard, to dare to attack us in this house!"

Julian had crossed his hands over his chest, a closed and slightly amused look on his features.

"Someone you don't want to cross, Immortal. I'm no snack, so I will appreciate it if you can find another neck to munch on."

With a snarl, the two Vampires had launched themselves at him. Only to be stopped by a curt order of one of their Princes.

Evan had walked through the crowd that had drawn a half-circle around the three protagonists. He had walked to Julian, placed his hand over his heart and tilted his upper body forwards, smiling as Julian had performed the same ritualistic salute common among Nightshades' students and alumni. Many had gasped around them.

"Glad to see you, Julian, I thought you did not come. Take off your cloak; you must be dying under that!"

The wizard had rolled his eyes and untied it. He was dressed in the Nightshades uniform: black pants, black shirt with a Golden high collar. The school crest was embroidered over his heart. A belt holding his sword's sheath closed by a silver buckle and shaped as a raven's head completed his outfit.

Taking the young man's arm, Evan had approached his father.

"Father, May I present you Julian Richards, one of my peers from Nightshades," he said quietly.

"Princeps." Julian bowed deeply in a mark of respect.

"I heard a lot about you, young Sorcerer apprentice; my son speaks highly of you, though that wasn't always the case."

Julian had been about to speak when a blade had touched his neck.

"I want reparations for this insult, mortal. No mere human should be permitted in this hall, unless they are donors!"

Julian had slid his finger under the blade and pushed it away from his neck, before turning to face one of the two Vampires he had blasted away. He had been short and stocky with long brown hair and several scars marred his throat.

He turned to the Undead.

"I am a guest in this house, Vampire; I will not spill blood while under his roof without permission."

The Vampire had snarled, definitely enraged.

"Igor!" The Princeps had raised his voice. "If you want, I can grant you your fight, under your conditions… Do you want to challenge Apprentice Sorcerer Julian Richards from Nightshades?"

The Vampire shot Julian a look filled with hurt pride and arrogance.

He had eyed the young mortal, taking in his frail appearance.

"I request a fight to wash this insult in his blood. I challenge this mortal to a fight to Death."

The Princeps had turned to his son's friend.

"Do you accept?"

Julian had looked at Evan who nodded.

"I will, only if no retributions are asked of the winner."

The Princeps and the Vampire called Igor had both agreed to these conditions and Igor had chosen a sword duel.

Evan had watched intently, amused as the Vampire kept on attacking his charge, who seemed to be only playing with his challenger, a faint smile on his face that had enraged his opponent even more. After a crude remark from the Immortal, Julian had started to attack and the end of the duel had been brutal. In a minute, the Vampire's body had fallen to the Floor, heart pierced by a clean blow though his chest and beheaded. His head had hit the polished Floor, a surprised expression still etched on his features.

A hush had fallen on the crowd and all eyes had turned to the mortal. Face blank, he had knelt next to the body and cleaned his blade on the Vampire's shirt before sheathing it silently. He had then swept the room with his unnerving green eyes. Several Vampires had barely repressed a shudder when crossing his gaze. A slow clapping was heard as Evan had walked to him.

"You're getting better, Julian. But you should still watch your right side, you're still too open. Adept Joel is working on that, I hope."

Julian had nodded. He had looked at the Princeps, his green eyes staring straight at the Elder Vampire. Said Vampire had looked at him for a few moments before smiling and looking around.

"My friends, Igor issued his challenge and lost. By our laws or any other laws, Julian Richards was in his right. Nothing can be reproached to the Apprentice. Let not this unfortunate event darken the celebration of the Solstice and of our night."

The young wizard had spent the rest of the night at Evan's side, talking with him and some of his friends from Nightshades that had also been invited, dancing a few times, apparently amused by the looks sent his way whether they were filled with worry and some with fear or lust as he danced among them, the smell of his blood calling to them… The head of the Princeps' guards had enjoyed the display very much, as well as the skill the wizard showed in evading their attentions….

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Markus interrupted his musing as he motioned to the Mortal to follow his lead.

They passed very few people as Markus guided him through the Manor. They stopped in front of double oak doors.

"The Princeps and his heir are waiting for you. A servant will take you to your rooms later."

Julian tilted his head.

"My thanks for your help, Markus."

The Vampire nodded and strode away while Julian knocked on the door before entering.

The room looked like a large study, the walls covered with mahogany slates. Several paintings from the most famous Masters in the history were hung on the wall and two cases were filled with trophies and weapons. Several shelves also spanned the walls, filled with manuscripts, books, folders. But it was a huge, carved wooden desk covered with papers with two people pouring over them that attracted his attention. "Julian, you're here, good. Take a seat."

Evan pointed to a vacant chair at his right.

The Princeps eyed him, a calculating gleam in his eyes.

"Impressive... Even with those shields, I can see that your powers increased dramatically." He paused, looking the young mortal up and down, assessing him.

"My son reported his conversation with you."

Julian nodded, folding his hands over his legs.

"I did not expect anything less."

The Princeps smiled, his blue eyes piercing through Julian's head.

"The clans will rally themselves to the Dark Lord. We will ally ourselves to him but he has to know better than treat us as his mindless servants."

Julian raised his eyebrows.

"I expected that much. I didn't think the self-acclaimed Light Side would manage to see you as more than Blood suckers and offer you a deal on par with Voldemort's."

A faint smile drew the corners of the Princeps' mouth up.

"Indeed. Dumbledore contacted us, but had little to offer us without his Ministry to back him." He looked at the young man.

"However it was not the reason I asked for your presence." He seemed to weigh his words. "You expressed your intention to remain neutral in this war. My apologies, Sorcerer novice, but it does seem ludicrous, given who you are."

Julian smirked.

"Like I told Evan, Princeps, I have no desire to involve myself in this power struggle. The Vampires have my friendship and support and will continue to have it. I do not seek power, but knowledge."

The Princeps laughed.

"A true Sorcerer indeed. Very well, I will leave my son and heir to explain what will be asked of you during his Acknowledgement ceremony." He stood up, tilting his head in a show of respect. "Welcome to my house, Julian Richards."

That said, he left the study, leaving the two youths together.

Evan and Julian spent the night going over the different rituals that would be performed, learning the place he would take and what would be expected of him. At two in the morning, Evan showed Julian around and took him to hunt with him. Julian was one of the rare mortals allowed in the Hunt. He knew that his presence was resented by a few Vampires, mainly some who thought mortals were food and should be treated accordingly, but he had the favor of the Princeps' heir and they had to refrain from showing outward hostility as long as Evan was there to protect him.

As he followed his friend, the two of them shadows among the darkness, he looked around and spotted the seven other Vampires accompanying them on this outing. He silently jumped from tree to tree, sometimes getting back on the ground and running soundlessly in the forest. Evan raised his hands as they reached the edge of the forest. Squinting his eyes, Julian could make out the lights of a village. He snorted. As if a Vampire could be seen unless it wanted to be or was quite idiotic and clumsy. They all gathered around the young Vampire Prince.

"This is Hogsmeade village, a wizard village so I urge you to be cautious. Drink as much as you want, but try to refrain from killing... We don't want wizards to get suspicious of us too quickly."

Wicked grins spread on the Vampires' faces. Wizard blood forcefully taken was not as good as blood willingly given, but it was a treat nonetheless. Since Julian had come up with various Potions for Vampires, Evan and his Sire had set out to strengthen their peers by allowing them to drink Wizards' blood.

Wizards had been resistant to Vampire's allure before, and their magic made it extremely difficult for Vampires to catch them without dying in the process. This is where Julian had come. He had taken an interest in Potions early in his time at Nightshades and the Vampires' restrictions with Wizard magic had been a right challenge for his capacities. By his fifth year, he came up with several brews, among them, one that protected Vampires against the lesser wizarding spells, another which decreased their sensitivity to the sun.

A young Vampire couldn't get out in the sun. But as he aged, he became less and less sensitive to the sun's rays. On ancients, who have passed the age of a millennium, sun rays were a simple bother and necessitated nothing more than a simple itching sensation. Evan had only been a century-old Vampire and thus was restricted to darkness. While in the school, it wasn't a real bother; Nightshades' building having been built accordingly to the different species' needs, but Julian had wanted to find something else. After hours of experimenting he had finally come up with a draught that allowed young Vampires to step in the light of midday with only the itching sensation.

He had also created an alternative for blood. While not as powerful, it could sustain a Vampire and keep him from weakening, as well as staunch his thirst.

Looking around him, he rolled his eyes as he saw shadows spread through the village. He turned to Evan.

"You offer them quite the treat tonight, Evan."

The Vampire smirked.

"It will keep them from speaking too loudly against you. They will be too giddy with this night's drinks to protest too much. Why do you think I chose those particular Vampires?"

Julian rolled his eyes.

"Why have you asked me to come, then?"

Evan looked at him piercingly.

"Two reasons; first, I would appreciate it if you would let me drink from you, and second, I want to show you something. From what my spies could gather, Dumbledore is holding a meeting of his birds tonight."

Julian frowned.

"I assume you need a fill to bypass the wards. But not even my blood would allow you to pass those wards undetected... Neither could I... Not even drifting would work," he added, studying the castle from his spot. Hogwarts and Hogsmeade were some of the rare places in U.K. that still posed some resistance to the Dark Lord. He knew of several other resistance pockets, but most of the Light fighters were going into hiding and undercover. France and Germany were still fighting, but Voldemort was gaining new ground every day. He, however, made sure no Muggle caught wind of the war going on under their noses. That had surprised Julian.

Evan smiled wanly.

"That's the beauty of it. They don't hold their meetings in the school but in an old house in London, protected by a Fidelius charm. This house used to belong to Dark wizards and doesn't have wards against Drifters..."

The young wizard frowned.

"Why then meet there when the school is so much more protected?"

Evan shrugged.

"I assume they do not want to attract the students' attention with people going in and out at every hour of the day..."

"And how come Vampires are allowed in that house? Shouldn't they have wards?"

Evan rolled his eyes.

"Of course they have wards against my kind, but the house's magic itself is working against them and undermining their wards, except for the Fidelius. I've had several spies sit on some of their meetings to get a feel on what they were planning and to fully know with whom we should ally ourselves with."

Julian snorted but handed Evan his hand rolling his eyes as a glint of bloodlust passed through the Prince eyes upon taking it.

The young man barely winced as the Vampire's fang broke his skin and started to suck lightly. He waited patiently for Evan to finish, not feeling the ecstasy mortals usually experience.

Nobody had ever understood why neither Veelas nor Vampires nor other creature could enthral him. When he first arrived at the school, he had had no mental shields whatsoever, but never had he felt their allure. That was just another part of the mystery that was Julian Richards to many of his peers.

Evan finally pulled away and wiped the small puncture wounds, the healing agent in his saliva immediately closing the wound.

"Thank you, Julian. I will drift us both to their Headquarters. Once there, we must not be seen; I don't think our presence would be appreciated…"

Snorting, the young wizard allowed his friend to embrace him and gave him a power boost to help the Drift.

They reappeared in a dusty and shadowed corner of a large room. Julian hurriedly hid his Aura, mentally cursing Evan. Thankfully nobody seemed to have noticed anything. Using a technique, that Karal, his Master, had taught him, Julian sent threads of magic into the House's wards to draw them around Evan and himself like a cover. He felt Evan call on his Vampiric magic also to hide them. Repressing a snort, he took a look around the room. There was no way someone was going to spot them.

He let his eyes wander; about thirty people were gathered around a large table. A huge map of Europe hanged on the wall. He glanced at all those seated, committing their faces to memory. Dumbledore was seated at one end of the table, looking at a pile of paper as a heavily scarred man was giving his report.

Julian's eyes widened a little upon spotting a few younger people present. A young man was sitting discreetly between a pink-haired woman and a brown-haired man, both of them wearing Auror robes. Two other teenagers were also present.

He directed his attention to the discussion at hand. Apparently, they had been going over several missions up to now.

"What of Hogwarts' protection, Albus?" asked a blond man when the man that had been speaking sat down.

The old man sighed.

"Cornelius set up his Ministry in Ireland and refused to lend us an Auror team, saying he couldn't spare any men. Apparently, the wards should be enough for him. The Unspeakables agreed to come set up new ones against Dark Creatures."

"I take it the Vampires and Werewolves did not agree to side with us."

Albus sent the red-haired man a tired smile.

"We had little to offer them, Arthur. Voldemort," Julian rolled his eyes seeing all those people flinch hearing the Dark Lord's name, "had many things to tempt them with. I never really thought they would join us."

A greying brown-haired man spoke up.

"The Werewolves are still debating, but I can already tell you that Voldemort made an offer the council will have trouble not accepting. They are several clans that are currently choosing their leaders and cannot vote; so the answer of the Werewolves will have to wait for their return. But don't hope for anything positive for us. The Ministry has oppressed the Werewolves for too long, for them to offer support in any way."

Julian raised an eyebrow. This man seemed well-informed. He turned to Evan who mouthed the word "Werewolf", answering Julian's question.

"That's alright, Remus. The new wards should take care of them. They will be set up around this house and Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. They will not be able to set foot on Hogwarts ground without being killed in the process," said Dumbledore. "The Defense classes of the students will be doubled as well as the Duelling hours, and the training of the Junior forces has to be intensified. Mr. Longbottom, how are you peers doing?"

"B-Better, Headmaster. The Patronus group is nearly operational. The squadrons that had gone with the Aurors have returned and their surveyors seemed satisfied. The intelligence group is going for a stay with the Unspeakables." The youth glanced at the man at his side who nodded to him. "Most members passed the Auror trials Master Moody and Shacklebolt set up for us yesterday." He paused again, gulping, visibly ill-at-ease in the limelight.

"That's good, my boy, very good. Miss Granger?"

Immediately a girl with her hair tied up in a strict bun on the nape of her neck nodded and started to make her report. She was speaking in a tight and precise tone, going straight to the point. Julian was inwardly impressed. This girl would have been right at home in Nightshades; Mistress Orana would have loved her.

Ten minutes later, a red-haired boy took her suit regarding the Junior spread and current possibilities.

Dumbledore nodded and dismissed them after a few more minutes, asking them to go back to their dorms for the night and be ready for training tomorrow morning.

Once he was sure they were gone, he turned to the scarred man.

"Alastor, how is Mr. Longbottom's training going?"

The man frowned.

"I don't know why you want to make a warrior of this child, Albus. He would be better off as a healer."

The old man frowned deeply.

"Are you sure there is nothing you can do?"

Moody grunted.

The brown-haired man that had been seated next to the boy they had called Longbottom answered. "Dumbledore, that boy is trying his best, but he is _no_ leader. He tries, and I must commend him on his perseverance, but you won't make of him a figurehead in this war. He is happy to obey my orders but as soon as he is placed in a position of leadership, he falters. Weasley is doing a better job at that. Longbottom can't bear the idea of making sacrifices or risking lives to save others. However as a healer I must commend his skills."

The scarred man nodded.

"I agree. Why are you so keen on giving him command of the Juniors? I think it's time you tell us why. Longbottom is a good and quite powerful wizard but he has absolutely no backbone!"

Dumbledore smiled benignly, his eyes twinkling.

"Alastor, you might be surprised, I'm sure Mr. Longbottom will be the perfect leader for the Juniors. I will train him personally this year and shape him up."

The old Auror scoffed.

"Then you're crazy, old man! Your sweets must have rotten your brain instead of your teeth!"

Personally, Julian agreed. He had absolutely no desire to involve himself in that conflict but if this Longbottom was put in charge, he wouldn't last a minute when fighting the Junior Death Eaters. The young apprentice had seen them a few times on school holidays during the past year. They were drilled with Fighting and Duelling lessons everyday and taught in many fields pertaining to war. If that was all the Light had to oppose the Dark, then the war would be short.

Dumbledore sighed.

"There was a Prophecy made, as you all know. I told you of this many years ago. And there were only two possible candidates as to whom this Prophecy was speaking of."

Julian and Evan looked at each other. This was more interesting. While none of them really believed in Divination, both youths had met a few true Seers and knew of Prophecies. They were usually cryptic and subject to many interpretations… People had to be careful when handling them.

A red-haired woman nodded, apparently quite annoyed.

"You already told us so, Albus… But why Neville? He is a sweet boy; but really, I never saw him as a leader…"

"Neville is the only other possibility. The other disappeared before he could come to Hogwarts… He's probably dead by now… We sent letters for five years and never did one find him, not even Fawkes managed to…"

"Who was he?" The question was asked by a dark- haired man with a foreboding look.

"Sirius…"

"Who was he, Albus? We deserve to know, maybe one of us has heard of him while you haven't."

The old man sighed.

"It would have been Harry Potter, Sirius."

The black-haired man nodded tersely.

The scarred man seemed thoughtful.

"The Potter boy, you say?"

The Hogwarts' Headmaster nodded.

"Yes, he was marked by Voldemort while Neville wasn't, or not as evidently. But since he disappeared, Neville must be the Chosen One."

Julian steeled his features as he motioned to Evan he wanted to leave. The young Vampire did not protest and Drifted them out once Julian had disentangled them from the House's wards.

Evan looked at him.

"This might change things…"

Julian returned his look.

"This changes nothing. The boy they call Harry Potter died years ago. I _am_ Julian Richards and whatever might have concerned Harry Potter does not concern me."

Evan shrugged.

"It is not my problem, Julian. But I would be cautious, I think you're going to find yourself compelled to choose a side no matter what you might think; you are too powerful to be left to your own devices." He paused for a few seconds, pondering over something.

"What?" asked Julian getting a bit annoyed at the Vampire as they walked back to the Princeps' Manor.

"Nothing… Well, why did those letters never find you?"

Julian smirked.

"They must have sent the first letter as my Hogwarts letter, after my eleventh birthday. My Master sent me to Nightshades before." He shot Evan a smug smile as if this should explain everything.

"And Nightshades is completely unplottable, the veil blocks all outsiders' perceptions…"

"Indeed…"

"So if they were to send you a letter now, they would find you…"

Julian shook his head.

"No… I don't think so, my magical signature changed too much since then and my Coming only strengthened that fact."

"So you don't exist anymore?"

Julian shot him a chilling smile.

"For the wizarding world, I never existed."

O> O> O> O> O> O> O> O> O> O> O> O> O> O> O> O> O> O> O> O>

Lucius Malfoy wasn't having a good day. He had been charged by his Master to learn all he could about that blasted boy, but all he'd gathered were rumours or things he already knew.

He didn't even know that brat's age! Sure he had looked to be fifteen or sixteen year old at best, but looks weren't to be trusted. He was Severus' apprentice and he hadn't even known it! Devlin hadn't been helpful at all. That old bat could only talk of Potions and only to those he deemed worthy. He had had more luck with the old badger's apprentices. They had been all too happy to tell him all they could, thinking it would get them his favor. The fools!

Apparently the boy was skilled; able to brew Wolfsbane from memory which was no small feat. The Dark Lord wasn't going to like this… But he had to learn more. He'd gone to the Ministry registry, but had found nothing about a wizard named Julian Richards. From what the Vampire had said, he apparently went to Nightshades, that mysterious school that only allowed students on invitation and that nobody knew how to contact…

Lucius thought the problem over some more before deciding on the quickest way to get his questions answered. It was not subtle in the least, but he needed results… And after all it had been a long time since he had visited his old school friend…

With a sigh, he took some Powder on the closest fireplace mantel, nodding sharply to the guards and threw it in the fire.

"Ython!"

Twirling through the Floo system, he waited for his stop and stepped out of the fireplace smoothly, nodding tightly to the guards.

After giving them the password and allowing the identifying spell to work, he headed for the main laboratory.

He managed to find them after searching for thirty minutes which did nothing to improve his disposition. Raising his eyebrows at the number of 'Keep Out' signs, he knocked nonetheless.

Getting no answer, he repeated his knocking, becoming insistent when he still got no answer. Finally he heard a string of colorful cursing as someone strode to the door and banged it open.

"What don't you understand in the 'Keep out' part, you imbecilic idiot!"

Lucius felt his headache worsen. An enraged Severus Snape, just what he needed to end what would have been one of the worst days in his life. Trying to remain polite, he smiled tightly at his old school friend, knowing it wouldn't help. Severus Snape was known as a life threat if you had the misfortune of bothering him while he was busy with his potions…

"I apologize if I'm bothering you, Severus, but I need to see you on a matter of great importance…"

Severus frowned deeply, not bothering to allow him inside his laboratory.

"Lucius, I am currently working on some of the most difficult potions known in the world, potions that were personally requested by our Lord. I do not have time to waste in idle chatter and so would be extremely grateful if you could make yourself scarce for the coming weeks."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Lucius Malfoy wondered what he had done to deserve that.

"I know Severus, but it concerns your boy…"

"Whatever that brat might have done, I would thank you not to bother me with it and take it to him. I did not quit teaching to be saddled with the problems he created."

"Severus…"

The Potions Master cut him off.

"You are wasting my time, Lucius, so get to the point."

"Your boy didn't do anything…"

"Then why are you wasting precious time with this pointless talk. Did the stupidity of those surrounding you get to you?"

"Severus, I just need to know more about your brat. The fact that he seemed to be extremely friendly with the Princeps' heir piqued our Lord's interest and he wants to know more…"

Severus' scowl would have scared many men to death, but Lucius refused to leave. The idea of getting to his Lord without any new information was outweighing any caution Severus' moods might usually induce.

"You are interrupting extremely important and highly precise work to inquire about a mere boy!" The Potions Master looked ready to kill. "You are wasting my time over a simple brat! Do I ask asinine questions about your own?"

Lucius raised an eyebrow.

"You haven't seen Draco for at least two years, despite the fact that you are the boy's godfather."

"My apprentice is called Julian Richards and turned seventeen recently. He graduated from Nightshades soon after turning sixteen and started apprenticing under me after that."

Severus started to close the door, thinking the talk was closed but Lucius beat him to it.

"Where did you find him?"

The dark-haired man scowled even more deeply.

"At an orphanage, I spotted him performing strong accidental magic, and wasn't about to leave a wizard to mere Muggles. I couldn't be bothered taking care of a child so I sent him to Nightshades calling on a favour the Headmaster owed me."

"The name of the orphanage?"

This time the dark-haired man looked ready to bite his head off, but seemed to restrain himself.

"I don't know, do you think I would bother remembering the name of a Muggle orphanage. It was St. Someone… Before you ask, he was assigned the Princeps' heir as his mentor and kept in touch since his graduation. Now is this enough or can we finish this mindless chatter so that I can work on more pressing and important problems?"

"Is he here?"

The blond man watched, fascinated as a vein throbbed on his fellow Death Eater's temple.

"Does this place look like a child care service? The brat is away for the weekend and won't be back before Monday morning."

Knowing he wouldn't get anything more out of the irate Potion Master when he was in that kind of mood, Lucius Malfoy opted for a quick retreat before the man thought of experimenting his newest findings on him.

Severus slammed the door closed and returned to his work. An hour later, he put down his ladle and sighed. Knowing his brew would now need to sit for at least an hour, he cleaned the worktable with the ease coming from practice

That done he sat at his desk, pouring himself a small glass of scotch. Nursing it in his hand, he pondered over Lucius' visit.

So, The Dark Lord was already taking an interest on his apprentice. He would have to talk with the brat about discretion. What part of _'Do not attract attention'_ hadn't he understood…? He opened a drawer, rummaging through a stack of letters before finally finding what he was looking for. There were many things he was happy to keep to himself at the moment and the contents of this letter were one of them…

He had received it a month into Julian's third year.

_Severus,_

_This will come as a surprising request, particularly after my previous letters. After all I did little but bemoan the lack of skills of the boy you had saddled me with._

_However, I need to take new elements into account. As I told you in my precedent mail, your boy broke the records during the second year exams. You are aware of our school policy and the way it is run. Third years are assigned to a particular Master to learn of about a particular branch of magic. This is decided based on the skills they exhibited during their past two years. Julian already expressed an interest into Blades and is being taught by our current Blade adept. _

_You must see where this is headed, my friend. Your boy has displayed a level of control over his magic that is surprising given his age. His thirst for knowledge and his skills at deception are unmatched among his peers. However, the more important thing is the power that seems to permeate him. You know what I am and I now request your acceptance of my teaching your charge the way of the Sorcerers._

_I will await your answer in the coming days._

_Karal. _


	4. Ceremonies

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you will recognize.

A/N: Thanks a lot to Eve Larne and Stormfirearia for their help in correcting this chapter.

Thanks a lot to all those who reviewed.

I hope you will enjoy this chapter. It's more a filler chapter before I start on the big things, but I didn't want to make it too long given its current length.

Anyway, good reading to you all.

Naia

Chapter Four:

After a night of hunting, both Julian and Evan made their way back to the Princeps' stronghold and retired for the day. As they got ready for bed, Evan appraised his friend.

"Do I have something stuck to my face?"

"Nothing, Jul. I'm just wondering if you understand how unlikely _your_ being neutral in this war is… You heard them; you were prophesized to… "

Julian snorted.

"Harry Potter was prophesized to stand against a Dark Lord. I ceased to _be_ him the moment I entered Nightshades."

Evan frowned.

"I don't agree with you. No matter how much you or your magic has changed, you still fit the prophecy…"

Julian shot a hard look at the Vampire.

"Prophecies are vaguely worded things that must be interpreted with caution. You know that as well as I do; and I know you have as much trust in those things as I. Furthermore, I refuse to let my life be ruled by the word of a woman most people view as a fraud."

Evan raised an eyebrow.

"I just wanted to bring this to your attention. Even if you don't give it any credit, others will."

The young wizard glared at him.

"And how does that involve me?" he asked with a snarl. "Besides,_ even_ its words could be interpreted differently. The seventh month could be from another calendar, live and survive can have many meanings…"

Evan decided to let go. He would only antagonize his friend.

"I just want you to be ready for what is to come, Jul."

The young mortal shot him a wry smile.

"Don't worry, I am."

Julian took a sleeping potion, diluting it to wake up at dusk. They would be travelling to the Horraeng's dominion shortly after sunset.

Julian woke up and immediately got ready, dressing into the outfit Evan had had done for him by the coven's tailors. Once dressed, he looked in the mirror and snorted. He looked every bit the caricatured vampire: fitted black pants covering dark leather boots, a blood red poet shirt with gauzy fabric spilling out the sleeves of his robes to cover his wrists and half his hands. His robes were a midnight black with silver lining, a crimson dragon curled around a dagger embroidered over his left breast, these three colours being those of the Princeps as well as his mark.

Wearing his hair down with only a few strands tied back to free his face, he only wore the pendant Karal had given him upon his passing the Sorcerer apprentice tests, reaching the status of novice. It was a thin chain with a simple glass ball containing some of his blood, Karal's blood, and two phoenix drops added to three drops of dragon blood. The liquid was currently a gently pulsating crimson colour which would turn silver upon his reaching mastery. Those few that managed to become adept wore a golden coloured pendant, but there were barely a handful of them in the world.

He looked up and down his reflection once more, before checking that all his weapons were securely strapped to his body. Putting on his cloak and wrapping himself in it, he raised the hood and made his way to the hall. Evan was already there, waiting for him. The vampire was clothed in the official heir outfit: black pants, a black poet shirt like Julian's and blood-red robes with silver lining, the Princeps' crest in his back and a pendant marking him as his father's heir resting on his chest, a silver dragon and dagger glinting in the light of the torches.

"Ready, Jul?"

The young man shot him a smile.

"Whenever you're ready, Evan."

Nodding to the guards, Evan walked to Julian and wrapped his arm around him, Drifting them away to Horraeng's territory.

Julian's eyes widened upon appearing there.

Torches had been placed all around, giving the gardens an unholy light, shadows dancing with the flames. Many people were roaming around but Julian did not miss the glances shot their way as they started to head for the buildings. They entered the massive hall, where deep royal blue and burgundy draperies hung from the ceiling and off the walls.

They finally reached a group of vampires, who were wishing the soon-to-be joined couple well. In the middle, Moreen was standing next to a tall vampire whom Julian assumed was Arthen. Both of them were dressed in the customary white and burgundy robes of the bonded-to-be. The burgundy lining, collar, and cuffs, made it seem as if their robes had been dripped in blood. The female Immortal smiled when she spotted them. All the vampires in attendance bowed as the Princeps made his way to her and her intended.

"May I offer you my best wishes on this night, Moreen."

She curtsied flawlessly.

"You honour us with your presence, my Lord."

Evan's Father smiled at her before walking towards her Sire.

Moreen turned to Evan and Julian and curtsied again, then smiled as they both kissed her hand.

"Careful, Jul, Evan. Arthen might take offence."

Julian rolled his eyes.

"That is if you introduced us, Moreen."

She nodded and placed her hand over the arm of the male vampire who remained silent next to her, eyeing both Evan and Julian suspiciously.

"Arthen, these are two of my close friends: Evan, Heir of our Lord and Julian, Sorcerer novice. Both of them are former Nightshades graduates. Guys, this is Arthen, my soon-to-be-bonded."

Arthen looked at them coldly as he bowed his head, imitated by the others.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I heard a lot about you in the past years."

Evan eyed him.

"I can't really return the compliment; Moreen was never very forthcoming with her private life. But your skills are known to me..."

As the vampire heir drew the older one into small talk, Julian examined him, Moreen glancing at him anxiously. After a few minutes, he looked at her and nodded slowly. A relieved expression passed on her face, quickly disappearing, but a small pleased light remained dancing in her eyes.

After a few more minutes of talking, both Evan and Julian left the couple to greet new guests and to procure some drinks. Many mortal blood donors were mingling with the vampires, werewolves and magic wielders present in the room, and Julian watched, amused at their attempts to entice vampires to drink from them.

"Jul!"

He whirled on his heels and saw some of their friends already gathered outside under a tree, in the shadows cast by the torches. Kal, Reana, Selene, Xavier and Violaine were standing together, each dressed in their formal outfit to reflect their clan and their status. They joined them quickly, saluting each of them. They made small-talk as they waited for the rest of their circle to arrive. Oreale and Thynan were the next ones to arrive, then Auguste who looked a bit agitated, but Julian dismissed it.

Oreale, the young female werewolf, looked excited, something which intrigued Julian.

"Oreale, spit it before you choke on it."

She shot him a feral smile, her blood-red hair shining in the light, amber eyes glinting.

"Kaev lost the fight. Devan is the new Prime and Ela won the Queen's fight."

Selene and Thynan smiled widely at this piece of news.

"Do you have news of the two other packs?" asked the male werewolf, obviously pleased with the outcome of the fight for leader in his friend's pack.

Oreale shook her head.

"No. We will stay in the North for a few more months, probably until the Solstice…"

Evan tilted his head to one side.

"You'll still be able to come on the Equinox? I'm counting on all of you to be there…"

Oreale rolled her eyes.

"Of course. You chose Julian as your representative, didn't you?" she said, looking at Julian who wore a smug smile.

Evan nodded.

"Yes, the faces of my brothers alone were worth it, not that I would have trusted one of them with me at that point…"

Reana, Auguste and Kal laughed at that, their fangs glinting in the light. Xavier turned to Julian.

"Violaine and I are going to leave for China and Japan to apprentice."

The young wizard raised an eyebrow.

"Did you talk about it with the Headmaster? I know he has many contacts there."

Violaine smiled and spoke up.

"We planned to do so at the Gathering. We're hoping to reach our mastery as soon as possible."

Auguste shot a glance at Moreen and Arthen.

"Back to the matter at hand, what do you think of Arthen?"

Silence fell on them, finally broken by Thynan.

"I couldn't find anything bad about him from the little I saw."

Oreale nodded. Xavier and Violaine seemed hesitant.

"He appeared a bit set in his ways and beliefs. That could be detrimental to us."

Julian nodded.

"Auguste, Kal?"

They shrugged.

"We asked around and tried to dig some information on him. There is little to say: he _is_ a bit closed minded, but an exemplary fighter, loyal to his clan, quite powerful. He is a year or two away from reaching his mastery in Sword-fight."

"Reana?"

"I have very little to add. We need to be cautious about this. His loyalties go to his clan first and he might be caught into a conflict of loyalties should we involve him too much. But I don't see him forbidding Moreen from following our plan."

Finally, Julian turned to Selene, asking for her opinion. He already knew of Evan's, but Selene's would be the clincher. The female werewolf was still apprenticing under the Nightshades Soul-reader, but had reached a level high enough to give him some indication on Moreen's bonded.

"I did not sense anything really detrimental, but I should advise you to proceed with caution. He is older than us…"

Julian shot a look at Moreen who was welcoming another Vampire. She looked happy.

"We'll allow Moreen to tell him the basics and see how he reacts. I will place him under an enchantment to ensure his silence. Do we agree to this?"

They all nodded.

Kal clasped his hands.

"Well now that that is over, did you hear about what happened to Diz?"

They all laughed, the unfortunate adventure of this vampire having spread fast in the underworld. A servant brought them some drinks and conversations became lighter as they waited for the ceremony to take place.

Finally around midnight, all the guests had arrived and were all ushered towards a large clearing, an altar standing in the middle, a dagger and two cups placed on it. An ancient made his way to it, dressed in the ceremonial silvery grey and green priest robes.

"Friends, we are gathered on this evening to celebrate the bonding of two children of the night."

He turned to his two assistants and nodded.

They each took a cup and went to wait on each side of the altar. Moreen and Arthen walked forward and stopped in front of the priest.

"Children, you both come here out of your free will to request the bonding of your two existences."

"Yes," they chorused solemnly.

"Then, we shall proceed."

He handed the dagger to Arthen who slashed his wrist. Dark thick blood started to fill the cup the assistant held under the wound. Moreen imitated him as soon as she was handed the dagger. As the two cups filled themselves, the priest started to chant in the old tongue, a thin black veil in his hand. The moment the cups were filled, the assistants took them away. The ancient took both their wounded wrists and put the two wounds against the other, tying the veil around both wrists. The assistants handed him the two cups.

"May those gathered tonight witness this bond and attest of it for the times to come."

"Blood for blood," he said, watching as they drank the contents of the other's cup. "Your blood is the other's blood," he said, covering their tied wrists with his hands. "Your pain is the other's pain; your enemies are hers as hers are yours. Your friends are the other's friends. Your existences are now one. In Darkness, through the night, may the Goddess bless your union."

The veil shimmered around their wrists and disappeared. Both Arthen and Moreen knelt before the priest and remained still as he placed a hand on their heads, blessing them. Standing up, they turned to face the assembly. Silence stretched over it as they submitted themselves to their peers' judgement. Pressing his lips in a thin line, Julian started to clap slowly at first, followed by his friends and the rest of the gathering. Once the clapping had died down, they headed back to the manor where a feast had been prepared and drinks readied.

The ball was opened by Moreen and Arthen. After a few dances, Julian went to his friend, cutting in. Taking his friend's hand, he started to lead them across the dance floor, waltzing slowly.

"Are you happy, Moreen?"

The blue-eyed vampire smiled.

"I am, Jul. Rest assured; I was not forced into this." She eyed him, a bit nervous. "What did you decide, Jul?" she finally asked, anxious. Smirking, Julian stayed silent for a moment before relenting and answered her.

"Tell him, but let me cast an enchantment on him to prevent any slip. For now, we won't have him join, at least not as part of the core circle."

The chestnut-haired immortal agreed, relieved.

"I believe I have a bonding present for you, Moreen…" He stilled as the orchestra ended the piece they had been playing. Bowing his head, he pulled out a small vial from an inner pocket of his robes, filled with a dark crimson liquid.

"Be careful with it. I do not like the thought of my blood being spread around."

Moreen's eyes widened. To her knowledge, only Evan had ever drunk Julian's blood. Quite a lot of vampires had tried during their years at Nightshades, only to receive a one way ticket to the Healing wing when they managed to catch him.

Hesitating, she uncorked the vial and smelt it. Intoxicated by the mere scent, she downed it in a few gulps and gasped at the rush of power. She felt she was on a power high, as if she had drained several wizards. Taking an unsteady breath, she tried to get herself under control and looked up at Julian who was watching her with a smirk.

"Enjoy it while it lasts, Moreen."

With a new bow, he kissed her knuckles and walked to the table around which his friends had gathered. Reana was looking at Moreen with envy, something which amused her friends, though the other vampires could understand why. Julian passed an arm around her shoulders and leaned towards her to speak in her ear.

"Don't worry; you'll get the same on your bonding night."

Beaming, she shot him a lustful smile. He rolled his eyes and surveyed the room. His eyebrows shot up as he spotted several wizards he'd met during his stay at the compounds. His surprise was quickly replaced by annoyance. He didn't want to raise Voldemort's curiosity anymore than he had already done. But his mere presence and his company would surely be reported, though he knew nobody here would answer any inquiry about him or his skills.

Violaine looked at him pensively.

"What has you so sombre, Jul?"

He sighed.

"Just those Death Eaters. Thanks to Evan," he scowled at the vampire, "I'm already on his to-watch list and this will only make him more curious…"

Violaine shrugged.

"It's not like he can force you on his side. He has nothing of value to bargain with and you do not adhere to his pureblood elitist propaganda…"

Julian relaxed in his chair with a satisfied smirk, realising his friend was right. Voldemort had little to offer him that he couldn't get himself.

"True…"

The night was spent dancing, talking, planning or reminiscing. It was nearly only as the sun was about to rise that they parted to their respective homes, Julian being Drifted by Evan back to the Princeps' dominion. Going to his room after bidding his friend good bye, Julian changed clothing and took an Energizing Potion, enough to last him the day.

Once he had secured all his belongings, he went to the guards' room. Evan had explained that though most of the vampires slept during daylight, a unit of guards was still on alert in case of an attack. Finding them, he quickly requested someone to Drift him back to Ython. Knowing better than to antagonize the Heir's close friend, a guard immediately complied.

Thanking him tersely, Julian went to his rooms to change in garments more adapted to Potion brewing than his current attire. That done, he headed for the laboratory, keeping to the shadows, though it wasn't likely he would meet anyone at this hour. The inhabitants of this compound were not early risers, aside from the guards on duty and a few exceptions.

He just hoped his master was in a good mood…

(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)

Snape looked up from his papers on his latest experiment when he heard the door shut close.

The boy looked fine if a bit tired, wearing plain brown pants and green shirt with his apron and other brewing protection put on, goggles on his head for the moment.

"I need to speak to you, boy. I will see you at lunch," he snapped, being in a bad mood already. His ingredients hadn't been delivered on time and this had put him behind schedule.

The young man nodded as he made his way to the secondary lab through the door behind Severus. That taken care of, the Potions master focused his attention back to his own experiments. To achieve Adept status, he needed to have an apprentice pass his mastery successfully as well as present a new thesis. Being one of the younger masters in the world, he knew his work would be studied in depth and he refused to be ridiculed. His apprentice would be the best one since him to take the Exam, and both their thesis would mark the year. He would _not_ settle for anything less.

He had looked over the boy's work to know what he had chosen to research. It had been surprising to see he had selected Mind Potions, but he hadn't said anything. His thesis was well-built for now and he seemed to be making progress so Snape saw no reason to step in.

The morning went by quickly and a series of small chimes signalled lunch. Annoyed at having to interrupt his work to go eat in the hall instead of staying in his office, Snape slammed his folder shut and made his way out, robes billowing in his wake. He stormed into the dining hall and took his chair as Snape Lord at one end of the table, his apprentice already in the room, standing by the chair to his left, waiting for him to sit. "Sit down," he snapped, then clapped his hand three times, the meal appearing on the table immediately. They ate in silence, each of them lost in their thoughts. Finally, as dessert was taken away and coffee brought to the table, Snape looked up and eyed his apprentice.

"I called you here to discuss a particular issue."

Julian nodded sharply.

Snape looked him down sternly.

"I had been under the impression that I had asked _you_ to keep a low profile and not draw attention to yourself, boy."

He saw a glint of rebellion in the young man's eyes, but he stayed silent. Still watching him closely, he resumed his talking.

"Then explain to me, why I received a visit from Lucius Malfoy, obviously on Voldemort's orders? I was asked about you, interrupting an important brewing… I do not call _that_ keeping a low profile, apprentice!" He raised his voice, eyes blazing.

In a cold whisper, he continued.

"I do not want you or me to become the _focus_ of our Lord. We haven't enough information yet on both sides to attract their attention. I'm sure you are aware of that fact. So explain yourself!"

Julian gritted his teeth.

"Evan, my mentor, saw me during the dinner at Lazarin and came to me to discuss schoolmates and the coming gathering of Nightshades, as well as his own Acknowledgement Ceremony as the Princeps' heir," he said defensively. "He did not leave me a choice in acknowledging him or not."

Severus tightened his lips, obviously irritated by this, though he could do little about it. The curiosity of the Dark Lord had been sparked and he knew by experience that it would not be sated until he had pierced many of his apprentice's secrets. That would pose a problem and a possible conflict of interest.

He pondered over the problem, trying to guess what Voldemort would do. Shortly after joining the Death Eaters, he had been singled out by the Dark Lord for his Potions skills and unique duelling. He had risen quickly, joining the Inner circle as one of its youngest members. By then, he had strengthened his reputation and inspired fear through the ranks.

Most men knew not to insult him; they could all remember a duel that had sealed his reputation. A young recruit had thought himself above Snape, given the Potions Master's age. The mistake had not been repeated. He had been given a wide berth after he executed, more than fought, that young upstart without batting an eyelash.

Shaking his head, he thought the problem over. Voldemort was going to call Julian to him to study him, of that there was no doubt. Now how to limit the damage…

"Listen to me, boy. The Dark Lord will have you under close watch, if he doesn't call you to him. I urge you to remain discreet from now on, particularly with anything regarding your schooling."

Severus Snape stared at his apprentice.

"I appreciate you, Julian, but even _I_ will not be able to do anything to protect you from Voldemort. I know Nightshades alumni form a tight-knit community, but trust me; you don't want to raise the Dark Lord's interest." He paused, leaving his apprentice to guess what the consequences could be.

The young man looked at his master, pondering once more on the man's true thoughts on the current conflict as well as which side he truly belonged to…

Snape raised an eyebrow, as if reading his thoughts.

"I'm a true Slytherin, Julian. I serve no one but myself."

The novice Sorcerer smirked and raised his glass, followed by his master. Slytherins indeed…

A few days later, both of them had settled back to their usual routine. A heavy order for potions had the two of them stuck in the laboratories most of the time, something which Ython's inhabitants were grateful for. However, they were snappier than usual and so people tried to avoid them as much as possible.

A few new guards had learned the hard way not to bother them. The new recruits had found Julian leaving the buildings at night to fetch some ingredients and in an excess of zeal, had tried to stop and interrogate him.

They were found badly bruised and bleeding the next morning, stripped naked and tied to the hall's ceiling. Two others tried to inspect the main laboratory, following their orders to the letter and ignoring the advice of their more experienced peers. They were found unconscious down the corridor leading to the lab, deep burns marring their skin. After that, everyone gave the two Potion brewers a wide berth when they stepped out of their lair, most of the time a stormy expression on their faces as orders for more potions kept on coming.

Severus Snape was not having a good day. They had barely finished with the last orders when two new ones arrived before they could rest: one from Voldemort himself. To top it off, he had received a message from Dumbledore. True, the message was carefully coded and signed by Hew Garland, a Potions Master supposed to live in Romania, but he was seething at the security risk.

Reading over the carefully scripted letter, his scowl deepened. Taking some blank parchment and a quill, he quickly penned his reply and sent it with his owl Charon. Then he started going over the new orders he had received this morning. Sighing with weariness, he quickly chose which he would brew himself and which he would leave to his apprentice. Given the complexity of three of the brews the Dark Lord had required, Julian would need to take care of most of the rest… even the more difficult ones.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Snape wanted to scream at the ineptness of those Death Eaters who dared to get injured in raids and then request healing draughts from him… And those Burn salves! Who was stupid enough to let himself get burnt! Well, the boy would take care of it… speaking of the boy…

"JULIAN!"

Meanwhile, Charon was flying to Hogwarts. He arrived at the castle after an hour of flight and entered the Headmaster's office easily through the opened door, having been added to the wards. Without a glance to the ticking, spinning and the other odd and flashy devices piled in the office, he landed on the old man's desk and put out his leg.

The Headmaster looked up from the different reports he had received today and saw the inky black owl from his spy. Taking the roll of parchment, he unrolled it and started to read, frowning here and there before chuckling a little. Looking at the owl, he rolled his eyes. The bird was as stuffy and as mean looking as his master.

Looking back at the letter he pondered over its contents…

_Albus,_

_What in Merlin's name possessed you to write to me! Did your sweets finally get to your head or are you reaching your dotage! I have little to tell you. Thanks to you, I'm flooded by requests for potions at the moment and have not left this compound for weeks now. At least, could you and your bunch of idiotic Gryffindors make sure to capture those you injure or make sure they do not come back requesting care and potions?_

_To answer you, I can only tell you that rumours are saying the Dark Lord got the vampires and werewolves. The giants are still hesitating. _

_I know He has been recruiting in the slums and underworld, but that drunkard you insist on keeping in the Order should know more than I on this matter. _

_He requested several enhancers and poisons lately, his usual rejuvenating draughts to counteract the last remainders of the ritual used to get his body back. He is planning something. Several brews had to do with mind control and many of them, I had never heard of before. I do not know where he found them._

_I would be grateful if you do not mail me unless it is a last resort. I will continue to send you a monthly report and tell you, should something of importance get to me. As to your proposition of coming back to teach, I might loath my current workload, but I'll gladly take it, over teaching those snivelling brats and dunderheads._

_Till then,_

_Severus _

The man had not changed and seemed to have gotten even snappier. It was a pity he hated teaching that much. While his successor was having good results, it cannot compare to Severus' rate of Outstandings at the N.E.W.T.s… But the students were not as terrified as before…

Putting the letter aside, he returned his focus to the reports he had been studying. Today was the start of term and he had to be sure that security was tight. Soft knocking at the door made him look up in surprise since he wasn't expecting anyone. A quick glance at his seeing stone showed the young Longbottom waiting outside.

He smiled slightly. Such a sweet boy, a pity he did not have his parents' drive and confidence… But well, He would make sure the boy was ready to fight by the end of the year. They could no longer afford to give him time to reach his potential by himself.

"Enter Neville!" He said cheerfully.

The young man stepped into the office hesitantly.

"Headmaster, I wanted to talk to you…"

"Of course, my boy, you know you can come to me whenever you want. What is the matter? Is there a problem with the Juniors?"

Neville shook his head.

"No. I-er… I-I" He took a deep breath. "I don't want to be an Auror, Headmaster. I want to enter Amboise Academy of Healing. Mrs. Pomfrey and Professor Sprout are ready to recommend me."

Albus sighed, taking in the young wizard gravely. He had not spent a decade training the boy to have him become a healer.

"Neville, you are needed in the fight against Voldemort."

"Ron and Hermione can take care of the Juniors way better than I."

"You are their leader, Neville!"

"Ron is. Headmaster, why do you want me to fight? I do not have the skills or the power for Defence or Offensive Magic."

Albus folded his hands together.

"My boy, you do not know the extent of your potential. It is time I tell you something I kept from you for the past years, waiting for the right moment." He paused, looking at the young man seated in front of him. "A Prophecy was made years ago. It said that the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord was coming. He would be born as the seventh month died, of parents that defied the Dark Lord thrice and would be marked by the Dark Lord as his equal. Possessing a power the Dark Lord knows not..." Dumbledore explained gravely, eyes not twinkling for once.

Neville looked at him, face pale.

"But, Headmaster! There must have been others born at the same time! How can you be sure it's me!"

Albus shook his head.

"There was only one other boy that fulfilled all those conditions. You must have heard of him… Harry Potter."

Neville frowned.

"Then why do you think it's me? From what I heard, Harry Potter stopped the Dark Lord all those years ago, when he was only a mere baby and received a scar! He was the one marked, not me!" Neville was getting angry at his mentor.

"I thought so, but he died before his eleventh birthday, leaving you the only one to fulfil the Prophecy."

"How do you know he is dead! He could have disappeared, been kidnapped for all you know!" Desperation was evident in Neville's voice.

Albus tilted his head on the side.

"Do you think I did not check every possibility, Neville? His Hogwarts' letters kept returning to us unopened. We went to his relatives, only to learn they had abandoned him after getting rid of his scar through Muggle surgery. They changed his name but seemed to have forgotten to what… After going through all the files of the orphanage they left him to, we found nothing about a child fitting his description." He paused.

This was difficult for him to talk about; it was one of his biggest failures. He had known Lily and James well and the disappearance of their son had been a hard blow for him; particularly when he had been sure everything had been done to ensure little Harry's security.

"I had a team look for him; we used every tracking charm and device you could think of, not even Fawkes could find him. After about five years of searching I called it off. Voldemort had been becoming more and more of a threat and I needed all the wands I could gather."

Neville looked pensive.

"That does not prove his death."

Albus sighed, looking grave, a contrast to his usual cheerful manner.

"Neville, don't delude yourself into thinking he will come to take your place. This is your burden. You are the One"

"But…"

Dumbledore raised his hand.

"Neville, my boy. I wish for nothing more than your being able to do as you desire. But this is a war and sacrifices _must_ be made. You were destined to fight Voldemort, my boy; and I'm sure you will prevail. Once this is over, you will be free to fulfil your dreams... But for now you have to fight. Do you understand this?"

The young Longbottom heir's shoulders slumped down.

"Yes, Headmaster…"

"Good, good. Now, I think the carriages will arrive in a few minutes, you should get ready."

Neville stood up, looking overwhelmed by all he had learnt.

Dumbledore watched him exit his office with pensive eyes. With a slump of his shoulders, he stood up and took out a book from his private library. He had hoped he would not need to come to that, but it was becoming clearer and clearer that Neville would never be a match to Voldemort. The Potter boy might have, had he lived; but they would never know for sure. So it was up to him to make sure that boy would win. The end would justify the means…

Days passed in a blur and Julian realized that he would have to leave in two days to be present for Evan's Acknowledgement as his father's heir. He would have to stay by his friend's side for the whole process. No guards were allowed on this occasion, and he was aware that many resented the younger son of the Princeps for reaching this status. His older brothers, in particular, hadn't appreciated having their younger sibling getting the place they felt was their due. Julian hadn't liked any of them, so having Evan get one over them had been rather satisfying.

He looked at his schedule for the day: training, practice, brewing, brewing, lunch if he had the time, brewing, more brewing, had he mentioned brewing, practice again, dinner and practice again, sleep. What a joyful day in perspective…

Getting dressed for his physical training, he then went to a large hall that had been reserved for practicing. He liked to come early to avoid the crowd and to keep his skills to himself. On the few occasions he hadn't been alone, he had gone out in the forest surrounding the compound to practice. Fortunately, nobody was there and Julian started on his usual routine. For the next two hours, he did some martial arts practice and blade-training. He knew Adept Jeensa would have his head should he allow himself to get sloppy… And with the Gathering in a month or so, he had better be ready for her.

That done, he went to shower and change, making a small stop to the kitchen to get a bite, deciding to skip breakfast. It helped that he had never been nasty to the house-elves or abused them like the common Death Eater usually did. They liked him, and most of the time agreed to small favours. While munching on a roll, he looked at his brewing schedule and sighed. More healing potions and salves… He was really getting bored with those. He seemed to be brewing only that for the past weeks. With a sigh, he carefully washed his hands and went to his cupboards. Picking the needed dried ingredients, he started to prepare them. Once that was done, he began the actual brewing. The next two days were spent in the same pattern.

Julian was in his shower scrubbing his hair vigorously to get all the grease from the potion fumes out of it, when he sensed someone in his rooms. Concentrating on the trespasser, he relaxed as he felt the distinct feeling he got around Immortals. He quickly finished his shower and got ready. He stepped in his room and saw Markus dressed in his best outfit looking around.

"Already here, Markus? I wasn't expecting you before tomorrow…"

The vampire shot him a calculating look.

"Prince Evan requires your presence tonight… Apparently the situation is getting more and more difficult. Five attempts on his life were made today, most of them committed from the inside. I'm sure you get my meaning."

Julian nodded tersely and took his wand, waving it around the room. As his bags packed themselves, he rummaged through his personal chests. Finally he got his hand on the black one marked with a golden crest featuring Ouroboros. Frowning a little, he went to his wardrobe and took out his ceremonial outfit. Due to the heavy magic weaved in it, it didn't respond to most spells. He carefully folded it and placed it in the black chest, not leaving enough time for Markus to see what was stored inside.

Taking a dark green cloak lined with black fur, he tied it to his shoulders. While putting on black gloves, he checked on his sheaths and various straps holding a few blades and darts as well as some vials of poisons and sedatives. Julian surveyed his room, checking to see if he had forgotten something, but nothing came to his mind.

"I need to inform my master of my departure. I shall be quick."

Markus nodded.

Julian made his way quickly to the main laboratories, ignoring the surprised or startled looks his attire drew. Knocking loudly, he waited for the permission to enter. He silently stepped in and waited for the Potions Master to acknowledge him. He did not miss the startled glint in his eyes as he took in his appearance.

"You're leaving, Apprentice?"

Julian bowed his head.

"The Prince required my presence earlier than planned."

The man shrugged.

"I can't really forbid you to leave…"

He placed a stasis charm on his cauldron.

"I need to caution you. There were rumours about the Dark Lord's absence for the week-end. If the vampires have chosen to align themselves with Voldemort, it's possible he was invited to the Princeps' heir's Acknowledgement. I do not need to tell you again, how important it is that you do not bring more attention on you than you already did and will. So for Merlin's sake, act like a Slytherin and keep to the shadows!"

Julian nodded.

"You are taking that menagerie of yours with you, aren't you? No House-elf will approach them after Gary got petrified."

"I am; they should prove effective security measures…"

Snape sneered.

"Indeed, but in Salazar's name, don't hiss in front of witnesses. You brought enough attention on yourself, already!"

Julian rolled his eyes.

"I would like to think I'm not a complete fool, Master." Snape's snort did nothing for his self-esteem.

"Well then, I have nothing else to say. Now, get out, I have a lot of work to do."

Taking it as the dismissal it was, Julian left the room as silently as he had entered and strode back to his own chambers. Markus was flipping through one of his books on Poisons and looked up upon sensing him.

"You are ready?"

"I am, what about my bags?"

"I'll send some of my men to take them back to the castle," answered Markus impassively.

"Very well," agreed the young man, "Warn them to be careful with the chest. I will hold them personally responsible of any damage."

"They will be careful."

Julian looked at him unblinkingly, before walking to a small door on his right, Markus behind him. The room's atmosphere was warm and heavy with humidity. Julian bent down and to the vampire's surprise, started hissing softly.

Several Dark shapes slithered to him. The vampires' eyes widened upon recognizing the various species of reptiles slithering up the young mortal next to him. Two thin ebony snakes had settled themselves up his arms, what looked like a young Basilisk ensnared his waist, a Runespoor was around his chest, its heads on his shoulder and finally a Syszt was wrapped around his neck. Prince Evan had been lucky to get this mortal on his side.

Julian turned to the vampire.

"Shall we leave? They won't harm you." He hissed at the reptiles which hissed back; then he drew his cloak around him to hide the snakes from the view. Nodding, Markus cautiously took the wizard in his arms and Drifted him to the Princeps' dominion. They arrived and Julian was surprised at the number of vampires milling around.

Markus spoke up.

"This Ceremony is important to our race. The position of High Prince of the Vampires comes with many powers and responsibilities. The stronger the High Prince and Princeps, the stronger we are."

Julian tilted his head.

"That's why Evan was chosen despite being the youngest son…"

Markus nodded, smirking.

"Indeed, Prince Evan's stay at Shades proved to be more beneficial than it was for Prince Thanin."

As they talked, the vampire guided Julian through the labyrinth of corridors.

"You will stay with the Prince for the days to come. You are not to leave his side and his security will fall to you. Once he is acknowledged, he will be untouchable. The methods are left to you, but try to refrain from killing his would-be-attackers. They will need to be interrogated before being dealt with."

The young man agreed to this quickly.

"I shall try, but will not compromise Evan's security because of it."

Markus smirked.

"Of course not." He stopped in front of a large double door. "This is the entrance to Prince Evan's new rooms. Your bags should be there." He pointed to the door knob and more particularly to a small pique hidden from sight by the design. "Very few people are blood-keyed and granted entrance; all those entering are checked." He took the knob in his hand and waited a few seconds. The doors glowed green before clicking open.

They stepped in and Julian had to refrain from whistling. These rooms alone would be enough to want the position. Huge, they seemed to be used as a living room of some sort: a large mahogany and ebony table was standing in the centre. It looked positively ancient and the crafters had used two different essences of wood to draw patterns. The surface was perfectly polished and gleaming in the light of the torches hanging on the walls. Stuffed chairs were arranged around the table; armchairs and a couch were placed in front of the fire burning happily in the hearth. A small table supported different carafes filled with what looked like alcohols. Next to it stood a wooden cabinet with glass panes filled with many bottles and glasses.

Many paintings from renowned Renaissance painters such as Boticelli, and Da Vinci decorated the rooms. Dark red draperies softened the stone walls. A huge mirror was on the left and a large library could be seen in a corner. Music was playing softly. Bach, if Julian was not mistaken. Heavy curtains were open and allowed Julian a glimpse of the lands owned by the Princeps. Soft rugs muffled the sounds of his and Markus' footsteps.

One of the five doors leading out opened and Evan entered. He was dressed all in black.

"Julian, Markus," he said, nodding to both of them.

Markus bowed deeply as Julian rolled his eyes and tilted his head forwards.

"I'll leave you, my Prince."

"Thank you Markus. I'll see you tomorrow."

Markus bowed again and slipped out of the room, the doors closing softly in his wake. Julian crouched down and allowed his scaly friends to slither to the ground. Standing up, he crossed his arms, eyes twinkling.

"So, I'm saddled with you for the week-end..."

Evan snorted.

"I put up with you during your first two years and a half at Nightshades; just call this payback." He glanced at the reptiles and snorted. "I see you brought the zoo with you…"

Julian rolled his eyes and took a chair, dragging it backwards before sitting.

"So, if I got this right: we're stuck until tonight and I have to make sure you stay alive till the end… Sounds fun."

"Got it in one," replied the vampire.

"Markus told me there were already several attempts made."

Evan nodded.

"Yes. From poison, to fire, including some rather nasty vampiric curses you don't want to know and blades."

Julian sighed.

"Alright. Then until you are acknowledged, you will only drink from me."

Evan stared at his mortal friend, disbelief etched on his face.

"You're serious?"

Julian bit his lower lip.

"I brought some of the reserves I made. If it isn't enough, I took a few potions to keep my blood levels stable, no matter what."

That started what turned out to be a four hour discussion on the different methods to ensure Evan's security. The rest of the day was spent going over the various steps of the Ceremony and the potential threats to Evan. It wasn't until they went to Evan's room and settled down to rest that Julian remembered he had a question for the Vampire.

"By the way, Evan, I need to know. Will Voldemort be there for the Ceremony?"

The Immortal looked hesitant.

"Well… You know we are aligning with him, Jul…"

"Just answer the damned question, Evan. I'll just need to think of a way to limit my exposure if he does come."

Evan nodded.

"He was invited. After that, whether or not he comes is up to him." Pausing for a few seconds, he then quickly added: "However, since we also invited Dumbledore, no fighting is allowed among the guests. An agreement was reached and all subscribed to it. The dominion will be neutral grounds for the coming week-end."

Julian nodded.

"Makes sense…" At the same time, he was setting up massive wards around the room, as well as several charms to make sure the curtains shielding Evan from the sun would not accidentally open or fall. Just to be on the safe side, he had his friend drink a full vial of his blood.

A camp-bed had been placed next to the huge four poster bed. Julian called his snakes to him.

"_Did you sense anything?"_

The two black snakes' tongues shot in the air, tasting it.

"_Poison in the water and blades"_ hissed the smaller one.

Not to be outdone, the other continued.

"_Magic on the curtains. Strange magic. On the bed too…."_

Julian raised his eyebrows, signalling to Evan to wait.

"_Zostra, did you, Zenya and Zianie find anything?"_

The Runespoor curled in the armchair.

"_Nothing more than those two didn't already say," _hissed the right head, _"Though you might want to do something about those secret passageways to the living room and some of the other rooms."_

"_The crunchy food in the drapes might also have been dangerous to humans or the undead. They were tasty though," _added the middle head.

"_Eating- that's all you fools think of!" _snapped the left head. This started an argument between the three that Julian quickly tuned out.

The Syszt, called Layn, slithered up Julian's body and settled around his neck. He was a dark-brow, fifty centimetres long snake with discrete black markings on his head. This particular species lived mostly in deserts, particularly in the Sahara. Extremely poisonous, he could measure up to three meters in its adult state. Layn had been a gift from Evan and was still quite young, but his powers were fully developed. Julian waited as pictures were sent to his mind: poisons in the bathroom, on the comb.

"_There are many dark thoughts around you and this room. I can taste it in the air."_

"_I know, Layn. I want you and Khan to keep watch tonight."_

"_It will be done, young speaker."_

Julian looked down to the two meter-long Basilisk.

"_I want you and Layn to guard us tonight and the days to come."_

"_Will I kill?"_ Eagerness spiked in his hissing.

"_No, Petrify, but you are allowed to kill should our life be endangered."_

"_Very well, Master."_

Julian turned to Evan.

"Apparently your fans left some presents for you."

Evan rolled his eyes.

"Of course they did! What did they find?"

"Well, you might want to clean all your blades and get rid of everything edible in your rooms. There were some poisonous things but Zenya, Zostra and Zianie ate it."

"Alright. Anything else?"

Julian shrugged.

"Well, I'll deal with the various curses here and there. You'll have to help me with the Vampiric ones. Then we'll go block the different passageways together…"

Their next hour was spent checking the suite thoroughly and on the break of dawn, they both returned to the bedroom, with Julian running a last check on the whole place. Sensing nothing wrong with the magical flows around him, he nodded to his friend and settled in his bed. Sleep eluded him for a few moments, but as the day started outside, he was swept away into dreamland.

He was woken up by Sostris, one of his snakes. Dressing up in loose pants and a shirt, he carefully strapped all his weapons to himself before checking the wards. There had been attempts to breach them, but they had held up. Evan followed him to the living room twenty minutes later. Julian took food from one of his bags, not trusting anything that had been brought to them not to have been tampered with. Again he handed Evan a vial of his blood.

"So what's tonight's schedule?"

Evan grimaced.

"Meditation, magical and mental anchoring; then we'll get camping in the forest for the night, with nothing more than a pair of pants."

Julian snorted.

"Camping, yeah right… Just out of curiosity, how many people got past this Acknowledgement thing alive?"

Evan shot him a smirk.

"Most of the time, all the potential heirs are killed leaving only one."

"Great… Just so you know, I'm taking my menagerie as you call them with us."

Evan shrugged.

"There is nothing in the rules that forbid us from taking animals with us… We'll leave at midnight."

"Then let's get started."

They settled on the thick rugs and slowed their breathing, emptying their minds, strengthening their mental shields and anchoring them deep into their magical core, grounding their magic as tightly as possible. Fifteen minutes before midnight, they emerged from their trance feeling stronger and calmer than ever before. They put on thick leather pants and boots.

"Can I take my wand?" suddenly asked Julian.

Evan tilted his head on the side, thinking it over.

"I'm not sure; this is the first time a wizard is chosen as representative. But you'll probably have to follow the same rules as I, so you won't be allowed any tool."

Julian pondered on this problem. He did not like going out without a way to protect himself.

"Do you think I'll be able to get my hand on a focus in the forest?"

Evan thought it over.

"Probably,"

The young man nodded.

"It will do then."

Knowing better that to question his friend's judgement, Evan acquiesced.

"Good, are you ready?"

"Whenever you are. Take Sostris and Salya with you."

The young vampire crouched next to the two black snakes and allowed them to wrap themselves around his arms. Meanwhile, Julian had the three other reptiles snake themselves on his body. The Runespoor on his left arm, Layn on his right, Khan around his chest and neck. They exited the room and made it to the main hall. Julian smirked while thinking of what awaited those who would try to enter the suite in their absence… It would serve them right.

They were led inside the forest and left in a clearing in its centre. Wards had been placed on the forest's edge to prevent them from leaving before their time was up. This part of the Acknowledgement was to prove the Heir's capacity to survive and his skills. Most of those present thought that the young Immortal had little chance to get through this test alive. Yes, the mortal was powerful, but without tools to channel his magic, he was next to defenceless.

However, hours later, the squadron of guards sent under Markus' lead to fetch them or what remained of them was met with a strange sight. The mortal sported several cuts and bruises but didn't seem bothered by it as the two friends busily harvested ingredients from the various carcasses lying on the ground. A few acromantulas, a chimera or two and so forth along with several charred remains spread around. Markus raised an eyebrow as he spotted four vampires, a mortal and a were huddled in a corner, bound and guarded by hissing snakes.

Evan looked up from the Acromantula's carcass he was currently dissecting. They had transfigured two twigs into blades and some leaves into vials. He was currently finishing milking the venom sacks of this overgrown spider, having already taken enough hairs from it. Julian was busy taking some chimera hairs and blood. He had already taken some saliva and clipped the claws.

"Good to see you, Markus. If you could take care of those," he pointed to the vampires, were and wizard, "And have those vials and bags brought to our labs, we'll follow you."

Markus turned to his men and barked a few orders. Five minutes later, only charred circles in the grass remained the only evidence of what had happened.

Both Evan and Julian stretched upon entering the suite. Julian had his snakes check it, just to be sure. They went to sleep quickly as the sun started to rise up in the sky. They were awoken by a triggering of the wards which put them immediately on their feet. Glancing at each other, they nodded. Julian, wand in hand, approached the door while Evan walked to the library in the bedroom and pulled a book. Silently, the library slid aside, revealing a small room, with a large space with a view on the living room through the mirror. The mirror looked like any mirror from the outside, but allowed people to see through it from the other side. Evan stepped back, smiling as he pushed the book back in its place, making the library slide back to its usual spot.

"That's my father."

Julian raised an eyebrow.

"How can you be sure?"

Evan rolled his eyes.

"You're paranoid. He is keyed in the ward. Had it been someone else disguised as him, the door wouldn't have opened."

"Alright," conceded the young man, putting his wand back in its holster on his right forearm. Taking a shirt, he put it on and followed his friend to the living room.

The Princeps was looking around.

"Son, Sorcerer," he said smiling.

"Father, it is good to see you."

"As it is to see you made it through the first part, Evan. I chose well." He cast a dark smile at Julian. "I am proud of you. People will come to fetch you in an hour for your purification. Your friend will also have to undergo the process."

The two youths bowed.

"Very good. I wish you the best, my son. The oracles of your birth were true. During your purification, no attempts are allowed to be made against you, but afterwards and until you receive the mark, you will be fair game. Your brothers have been quite vocal lately."

Evan rolled his eyes.

"When were they not?"

The old Vampire chuckled and turned to Julian.

"It's only fair I warn you, mortal, that both the Dark Lord and the Hogwarts' Headmaster will be present tonight."

Julian's lips tightened in a thin line.

"Thank you for your warning, Princeps."

The Immortal smirked amusedly before sweeping out of the room. For the next hour, the two youths reinforced their anchors and shields, after putting on some casual clothes. They were prepared by the time a soft knocking was heard. Evan walked to the door and cast a see-through charm. Seeing four priests, two females and two males waiting outside, he signalled to Julian to come. The young man had decided to leave the snakes in the room and had only taken his wand, trusting the Princeps' word.

They followed the four priests down the corridors, climbing several flights of stairs. They finally reached one of the most secret parts of the Princeps' fortress. A large underground lake stretched under the foundation of the buildings, its waters appearing dark from the lack of light and the abundance of obsidian in the stones.

In silence, four more priests joined the four ones already attending to them. They were led to a large rock on which a drop of their blood was smeared.

Julian had to refrain from bolting away as they started to divest them of their clothes. Feeling extremely uncomfortable and self-conscious, he let them do it. Looking straight ahead and hoping against everything that he was not blushing, he waited until he was standing in his birth-suit in front of them. Without a word, they were led to the lake and stepped in it. As soon as the water reached their waist, several sets of hands started to wash their bodies using several kinds of potion and soap while chanting. When Julian was sure that every inch of his body had been thoroughly washed, they were pulled under water for several seconds then pulled out of the lake. Still naked, they were led to two large flat stones and made to lay on them on their stomach. Julian nearly groaned in pleasure as two sets of hands started to massage his body, smearing some kind of oil on his skin. An hour later, he was lying down, boneless, completely relaxed for the first time in weeks. Surprisingly, his mind had never been more awake and sharpened.

The four priests that had brought them there came back, carrying a piece of blood red material.

Expertly, they tied it around them. That done they walked Evan and Julian out of the vast cave and back to their rooms. Apart from the chants that had been constant during their bathing, none of them had spoken.

As they approached the Heir's suite, the priests stopped.

"Sorcerer, we would like to purify the clothes you will wear during the ceremony."

Julian frowned.

"Many of those clothes are quite magical. I don't wish to have them damaged."

One of the female raised her hands.

"Do not worry, Sorcerer, your clothes will be returned to you undamaged."

"Very well, come in then."

He walked to his black chest and took down the many protective charms surrounding it. Opening it, he took out his outfit for the Ceremony. While Julian preferred to use his Nightshades graduate robes for most formal events, he sometimes had to dress in full Sorcerer regalia. Black pants with a silver hem paired a white poet-shirt. Ankle-long silver, shiny robes flared a little from the waist, closed from hips to mid chest by a series of silver button chiselled with Julian's Sorcerer mark. The hem and cuffs of the robes were lined with white fur speckled with black spots. The frills from the shirt spilled over the robes from the neckline to mid-chest. The neckline was lined with silver velvet. The sleeves clung tightly to his arm and flared a little from the elbow to the wrists. Runes were embroidered and incorporated in the pattern drawn in the robes, anchoring the many protective charms in the robes. White gloves and black dress-shoes completed the outfit as well as a silvery blue cloak made of Acromantula silk, hemmed with white fur. A thin chain of mail was worn under it.

The four priests took them.

"They will be returned to you as quickly as possible. Do not get dressed before then."

Julian nodded, watching as Evan put on his own Ceremonial robes. They were similar to Julian's. A bit heavier, they were made in the clan's colour: blood-red, black and silver. His heir pendant and Blood-Mage mark were visible. A silver clasp tied his hair back. As he strapped his weapons to his body, the priests came back with Julian's clothes.

Julian quickly put them on, securing the various blades he used for his protection. With a sigh, he tied his robes and placed his Sorcerer pendant over the frills, its glowing red contents shining lightly. Taking a comb, he turned to Kahn.

"_Nobody came during our absence?"_

The Basilisk looked affronted that he could even suggest someone had slipped through his guard.

"_Nobody, young master, this thing you hold is safe."_

"_Thanks Kahn." _

Combing his hair, he tied some strands back with a silver clasp and buckled his belt.

"Evan? You're ready?"

The young vampire was looking in a mirror, his face solemn.

"You know Jul, I never really thought about this… It was a given that Thanin would be the heir… I mean, I was not taught what he was… "

Julian frowned.

"Don't tell me you're chickening out?"

Evan shook his head, as if coming out of a daze.

"Do you think I can do it?"

The young man smiled.

"There never was a doubt. Now, come on, your public is waiting!"

They stepped out of the room and headed to the main Hall. As they neared it, they could hear the noise coming from inside. Julian crouched down and handed Evan Salya and Sostris. Zenya, Zostra, Zianie and Layn were wrapped on him while Kahn followed them.

"Keep them with you."

Evan nodded. They couldn't use shields without interfering with the Ceremony, but Julian's snakes would be as effective…

Evan straightened as the two guards at the doors bowed to him then opened the doors. Silence fell on the room like magic as all eyes turned to the soon-to-be High Prince of the Vampires-- that is if he survived till the end of the ceremony. They paused a few seconds in the doorway to let people take them in. They presented a powerful picture and the snakes at their sides only added to the effect. Purposely, they walked to the stage that had been erected on the other end of the hall. People bowed to them as they walked. Julian smiled when he spotted their friends but had to repress a groan when he spotted the Dark Lord escorted by some of his Inner Circle. Wizards, Vampires and other Creatures were giving the group a wide berth.

Careful to keep his face blank, he remained vigilant and on guard as they neared the two Ancients dressed in priests' robes, each of them holding a platinum cup filled with dark waters. The Princeps was standing next to them, a dagger and a vial in hand. They both climbed up the stage, pausing in front of the two priests. Evan knelt while Julian merely bowed, scanning the crowd for any threat.

"Friends and Allies!" started the older one, though old seemed a bit strange to use for the man did not appear older than thirty. "We are gathered tonight to celebrate the rise of our High Prince. The day has come for Prince Evan, son of our Princeps to receive the mark due to his new rank among us. We acknowledge his worth and skills and attest to his power."

The two priests raised the cup.

"If anyone of those gathered have an objection to this Acknowledgement, he may speak now."

Silence stretched for a minute and Julian allowed himself to smirk. As if someone would publicly go against the Princeps' choice.

Layn shifted around his neck and Kahn raised his head, tongue flickering wildly. Alerted, Julian looked around and was ready when twin blades shot towards Evan's back. With a flick of his wrist, his wand was in his hand and a curse shot out of its tip. The two blades froze in the air then gently floated to Julian's outstretched hand. Nobody seemed particularly surprised at this, though Julian detected some directed at his obviously sharp reflexes. Careful not to cut himself, he handed them to the Princeps without a word. The Vampire nodded to him as the two priests resumed the ceremony as if nothing had happened.

"Before all the witnesses gathered on this occasion, our race will again have its High Prince."

He handed Julian and Evan the cups.

Julian presented his to Layn which nodded its head.

Drinking it quickly, he had to refrain from wincing at the taste. Once that was done, the Princeps handed his dagger to one of the priests. He took Evan's head and tilted it to the left before cutting slightly the right side of his neck. It took a few minutes for the man to finish his work before stepping back. Giving the bloodied dagger back to his Lord, he let his colleague apply the contents of the vial he had taken from the Princeps. Evan flinched a little as the liquid soaked the cuts the priest had made but remained still.

The Princeps handed the dagger to Julian who approached his friend cutting his left wrist.

"By this blood willingly given, I, Julian Richards, standing by this vampire prince, acknowledge him as the High Prince of his race."

As Evan drank from him, he got a good look at the mark on his friend's neck. The design was still bleeding a little, but vampire healing factors were quickly taking care of it. As Evan kept drinking, the mark glowed a little. After a few more seconds, Julian gently took his wrist away, casting a low healing charm on the puncture wounds.

The Princeps stepped forward, taking the dagger from Julian.

"By this blood willing given, I, Thoran, Princeps of my race, acknowledge my son, Evan as the High Prince of his race."

He cut his wrist, and handed the dagger to his son.

"By this blood willing given, I, Evan, Prince of my race, acknowledge my place as High Prince and my responsibilities to my race.

Evan cut his wrist and handed it to his father. They drank from each other for a minute and then let go. Evan felt more powerful than ever. First Julian's blood, and then his father's! His whole body tingled and he was aware of the magical current running around him more than ever. He turned to the crowd and all the vampires fell to one knee, some quicker than others. The Princeps came to his side, Julian still standing beside him.

"Friends and Allies, witness the rise of the High Prince of Vampires. He will now be associated with all my decisions and should I perish, will rise in my stead."

Cheers and clapping echoed in the Hall.

The Princeps turned to Julian.

"Thank you for watching over my son, Sorcerer."

Julian simply nodded, a small smile on his lips.

"He is my friend."

He took the snakes from Evan, as the High Prince went to mingle with the various guests. Salya and Sostris would have not allowed that much interaction. He crouched next to Kahn, lightly stroking the head of the Basilisk, before doing the same to all his reptiles. In a whisper, so as not to be heard, he hissed to them.

"_Do you want me to send you back to our rooms?"_

The snakes hissed quickly back in forth, so fast than Julian couldn't understand all they said. Kahn finally raised himself to Julian's eye-level.

"_There are many here who do not like you… We don't like to leave you alone, though we loath such crowds."_

Julian smirked.

"_Do not fear, my friends, I have nothing to be afraid of here. I have the High Prince's protection. They won't dare try anything."_

The right head of the Runespoor flicked his tongue at him.

"_If you are sure, young master, then we would prefer to be brought outside. It has been a long time since our last hunt."_

Julian nodded.

"_Very well, but stay on the grounds and away from the guests."_

He got the five snakes to wrap around him and uneasily walked outside to the garden. There, he watched them slither away in the dark.

He went back inside. Spotting a large group huddled around someone he guessed was Evan, he walked to a stand and took a glass, discreetly scanning it for any tampering. He sipped the liquid, eyes wandering over the people milling around before spotting his friends in a corner. He approached them.

"Jul!" Reana kissed him on the cheek. "You look absolutely smashing."

"Yeah, Jul! You are so hot!" added Kal, fawning himself mockingly.

Rolling his eyes, Julian ignored the platinum-haired vampire.

"Ha, ha, ha. Very funny, Kal. Keep that for your weekly girl," he replied dryly.

They started to discuss playfully, sharing the latest gossip, discussing weapons, politics…

Julian noticed that Thynan kept glancing to his right. Frowning, the young man sent him an inquisitive look.

"Well, not to worry you Julian, but you have the Dark Lord watching and apparently discussing you with his men… I think they are even going to come over here. Yes, they are… He looks like a Dragon that had just spotted his next meal…"

Julian bit his lip and looked inconspicuously around. Spotting the dance floor and a few couples waltzing, he bowed to Selene.

"My dear Selene, if you could give me the pleasure of this dance."

Rolling her eyes, she nodded and let herself be led to the dance floor.

For the next hour, Julian alternately danced with all his female friends, but had to stop at one point to get a little rest. He took a glass of dark red wine, a Bourgogne if he guessed well and went to a large window. Sipping on his glass, he looked at the grounds before shifting his eyes to the sky, looking for the various constellations. He sensed more than heard the Dark Lord approach him, his magical presence being quite noticeable. Taking another sip of the red wine, he waited for Voldemort to make his presence known. A few seconds passed in relative silence as the young wizard felt the other's gaze on him.

"Apprentice Richards."

He turned, bowing his head to the Dark Lord.

"Lord Voldemort."

A flash of surprise passed through the red eyes of the Dark Lord, quickly replaced by cold calculation.

(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)(o)

Voldemort was not a man who liked surprises. Even less when said surprise could be potentially detrimental to him. That was why he was barely containing his annoyance upon seeing Severus' apprentice enter the Hall at the side of the Vampire Prince. He was a bit puzzled at his attire, not having seen such robes before, but from the excited whispers he could hear around, he guessed they had to mean something. He listened carefully to the whispers he caught around him.

"… heard? … Igor…. Duel?"

"… rer novice already…. Apprenticing…."

"…Nightshades…. Potions…."

"…sword…. Foolishly asked for…"

"…Skipped two years…."

"Blood…"

"Look at those snakes? Is that a Basilisk?"

The last one was asked by Bellatrix who accompanied him. All the Clan leaders had been allowed four guards as an escort. He had chosen to take Bellatrix, Rodolphus, Bartemius under a glamour and Aphora with him. Returning his attention to what was going on, he indeed realized that the two brats each carried a few snakes and that a Basilisk was slithering behind them, eyes closed.

Now, he thought that whatever Lucius might have unearthed on the boy wouldn't be enough to quell his curiosity. He gritted his teeth at the thought. This could be a problem. The brat was an unknown and as such-- a threat to him; a threat that he would need to deal with, which implied having some power over the brat.

Knowing his former right-hand man like he did however, he must have made sure to hide all he could about his apprentice… Maybe it was time he went to visit his best Potions Master. Severus should be reminded of who his Master was. He glowered at the thought that his particular follower had deliberately kept him in the dark regarding his apprentice and his potential. The boy could be the _pawn_ he needed to tip the balance of war in his favour.

Eyes not leaving the young wizard, he watched the Ceremony, more interested by his man's apprentice than by the vampire prince. From the corner of his eye, he spotted Dumbledore. The man was deep in talk with some of his lapdogs and did not pay the wizard escorting the vampire any particular attention. He smirked. If the old coot had overlooked such a thing, then the war might end quicker than he had thought. And he would come out victorious, no matter the cost.

Voldemort was not very worried. He had the vampires' alliance and the werewolves had been most interested, though they had to wait for the end of all the fights for leadership before they could gather their council and decide on which side they would ally themselves.

He was bit annoyed at having to compromise with the Vampires to get their alliance. But the Princeps had been unrelenting on the Muggle issue. No matter how much he loathed the very idea of letting the scum live, the vampire would not idly let him destroy their food reserve.

He might have to do something about it once he had the Wizarding world under his control. He wouldn't need the Undead by then.

He clapped as everyone did when the vampire was presented as High Prince and went to congratulate him as he was expected to. Once the pleasantries were over, he looked around for the boy. He wanted to talk to him to assess him. After all, he might have made mountains out of molehills... Unable to find him, he cursed softly and motioned sharply to his escort to come over.

"Where is he?"

None of them needed to ask who he was speaking of.

Bellatrix nodded.

"He is talking with a group in that corner," she said, pointing to her left.

Voldemort nodded, pleased with her.

"I want you four to spread around the room and get information on him, no matter how mundane. Meanwhile, I think I'll go talk to the boy. Rodolphus, once we are back, I want you to get in touch with Lucius and see what he'd learned." That said, he left them and headed for the boy. However, before he could get to him, he had left for the dance floor with a young woman. For the next hour, the brat evaded him, dancing with his friends before stepping aside to have a drink.

Keeping an eye on his quarry, the Dark Lord milled around the room, talking with the various wizards and creatures that came to him to discuss their standing in the war. He deliberately let some of his power leak out, enjoying the more or less hidden awe from his interlocutors. As soon as he saw the boy leave the dance floor, he smoothly ended his conversation with a Dark-artefact trader. That foolish boy would not escape him, nobody did. In the long run, he always got what he wanted...

He stopped a meter from the boy, observing him. He was not very tall and shared many mannerisms with his Master, particularly in the way he carried himself. He tried to feel the magic around him, but could only sense what he would have gotten from any average wizard. However, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something.

"Apprentice Richards?"

The boy turned to him and he was once again reminded of Severus. They didn't have many similarities, physically. But, when it came to facial expression, they were frighteningly alike.

"Lord Voldemort."

Now that was surprising; not many dared to call him by that name.

"I had not expected to find you here, apprentice," he said threateningly, trying to lock eyes with the young man's in order to examine him and push him into submission. He flared his aura slightly but though he could sense others' gazes on him, he only got a slight frown of the boy's brows.

The young man looked up.

"My master allowed me to come and stand for my friend."

The tone might have been meek and the eyes downcast, but Voldemort wasn't fooled. He pursed his lips, annoyed. He wanted the brat to act like the subservient Death Eater he would become once he was done with his apprenticeship. He would not allow him to run wild unmonitored.

"Indeed… He was your mentor at your school, wasn't it?"

Julian nodded slightly, a guarded look on his face.

"He was, Lord Voldemort. We kept in touch after my graduation."

Voldemort tilted his head aside and decided to change the subject, trying to find a weakness, or a better angle of attack.

"How is Severus at the moment?"

The young man smirked slightly, something that amused him slightly. It was rare for him to speak with a wizard who didn't really fear him. He found it quite refreshing in a way.

"My master, like myself, is spending his time in the labs to meet the orders for potions. On his behalf, I shall request you this: warn your men to be more careful. My Master's patience is quickly reaching its limits."

Voldemort repressed a smirk. How typical of Severus. He would have to take some measures. He did not put it past the man to modify his brews to teach his men a lesson. However, he would also need to reprimand the Potion master. One does not request Lord Voldemort to do something.

"I will take this into account. You are preparing for your Mastery, aren't you?"

Julian nodded.

"Yes, I should be passing the exams by the end of this year or the next one."

"You might usurp Severus' title of youngest master. What will you do afterwards?" Voldemort asked, a little less commandingly to try to get an answer out of the boy. Inwardly, he was taken aback by this piece of news.

The young man drank some of his wine.

"I am not sure for now. I prefer to keep my options open." He looked up straight at him, his green eyes unsettling. Voldemort sent a cautious probe to the brat's mind, only to meet strong barriers. Smirking, he nodded to him, repressing the urge to curse the blasted youth until he screamed and answered him. He would have to ensure he would get control of this brat one way or another.

"Your Master taught you well, young man."

Julian simply bowed his head.

"He will be pleased to know it."

Voldemort raised an eyebrow and had been about to ask him something else when one of the youths he had seen talking with the young wizard, approached them.

"Julian! Here you are." Looking at the Dark Lord, the dark-skinned vampire bowed his head. "Good night to you, Lord Voldemort. I apologize for interrupting you, but Oreale absolutely wants Julian to meet Devan and Ela. Master Karal is also present and wants to see him about his training."

Julian emptied his glass and bowed slightly to the Dark Lord.

"Lord Voldemort, if you'll excuse me?"

As if he had had any other choice but to do so…

"Give my regards to Severus."

Julian nodded.

"I will do so."

He left in the vampire's wake, Voldemort's eyes caught by the glow of his pendant. Bellatrix immediately walked to his side.

"We didn't learn much more than what we already knew, my Lord. Everyone is pretty tight-lipped as far as he is concerned."

Voldemort took a new sip on his glass. This worried him a little. He would need to plan his next move carefully. Though he wanted to punish the brat for his blatant lack of deference, he knew he needed to be cautious. Physical torture would not work. Being a Nightshades alumnus, the brat probably had a high pain tolerance and doing so would only antagonize the whole alumni community… Added to the fact that he was apprenticed under Severus, then getting him under his control would be a difficult task. But he was sure there was a weakness to exploit. Something he could _use_ to draw the brat to him and into his service.

"Schedule me a visit to Ython. I think I will pay dear Severus a visit. It has been a long time since I checked on the compound."

Bellatrix bowed deeply.

"It will be done, my lord."

Voldemort watched as the boy mingled easily with many influential members of the vampire and werewolf hierarchy. He caught Dumbledore's gaze and smirked malevolently. He was sure the old meddler hadn't missed his interaction with the boy.

But he wouldn't allow the dotting fool to get this one. The brat would be his. If only for his connections, he would be useful, even if his power was average at best. He raised his glass to the Hogwarts Headmaster, mockingly toasting him.

This was Severus' boy and that made him _property_ of the Dark.


	5. Power plays

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you'll recognize.

A/N: Hello all, long time, I know. Sorry about that. Thanks to you all for your patience with me and for your comments, I'm always happy to read what you have to say about the story. Thanks also to my betas Stormfirearia and Eve Larne.

So here is the new chapter, I hope you'll enjoy it.

Chapter 5: Power plays

Voldemort was sitting in his office in Ython, reading the latest reports from France which had come earlier this evening. The invasion was going well in the Continent.

The Eastern countries were rallying to him, sending envoys to Lazarin. His spies in France, Germany and Spain on the other hand, had also sent him encouraging reports. They had gotten rid of meddlesome officials through scandal, blackmail, and bribery… and those three ministries would soon be infiltrated, enough for the Dark Lord to make a move without fearing much resistance. The Law Enforcers were encountering reduced budgets, restrictions in registration, and a decline in the number of veterans available to teach the new recruits…

In the still unallied countries, rumors were spreading and law amendments were being drafted to lessen the risk of Voldemort targeting them. Voldemort had sent men to prey on people's fears, saying that should the Muggleborns and Muggles be contained, the Dark Lord would see no reason to attack.

Muggles were a risk to the community, his men said, they were incapable of understanding and could easily resort to annihilating wizards using their weapons. The Death Eaters were only too happy to dig up cases where Muggles had shown how intolerant they can be… The Nazis, the Khmer, Rwanda… All these _tragedies_ were carefully used to strengthen Voldemort's case…

Once he had assumed a strong enough grip over the Old World, he would set his sight on the Americas. America guarded its borders fiercely, but even they, could not screen all the mail going in and out. He made a note to send word to his moles lying dormant in the various American Ministries. An innocent Muggle postcard would not raise any suspicion, particularly when it was a father writing to his sons, telling them that the family was fine and enjoying their time in Europe, before reminding them that the engagement was ending soon and the wedding would take place in about two weeks.

The America's infiltration had been easier than he had thought it would. The Ministries still didn't see him as a genuine threat. Really, thinking that he would content himself with England or even Europe. _Fools_, he thought as he mulled over his glass of wine, waiting for Severus to arrive.

It had been a week since the rise of the Vampire High Prince before he found time to schedule a meeting with Severus, whom he commanded to come to Lazarin. In the meantime, he had called on many of his informants in the wizarding and even the Muggle spheres to no avail. What little was known about Julian Richards he had already heard. Even threats did not manage to loosen lips, something that annoyed but intrigued the Dark Lord to no end.

He wanted answers and he would get them.

The sound of knocking made him look up to see Severus Snape glide into the room. Silently he motioned to his former right hand to take a seat, taking a sip of wine before offering a glass to the Potions Master.

He eyed the surly man. It sure wasn't for his looks that he had made him his right hand years ago. He had known as soon as he had started to target some of the well known families that his snake had approached Dumbledore to ensure himself a safe way out should the war turn in the Light's favor.

The only thing that had stopped Voldemort from getting rid of the man was his sheer genius when it came to potions and strategy, as well as the certainty that as long as he had the upper hand, Severus would serve him, only passing minor information to the enemy. It was a small price to keep the man on his side. That was why he had so readily complied with Severus' request to stand down from his duties as right hand man to teach at Hogwarts. Both of them understood the dangerous game they were playing and the fine line they were walking.

He had picked Lucius as Severus' replacement but the blond had never earned the title of Dark Prince; that had remained Severus' privilege. The Senior Malfoy was a fine commander and loyal to a fault, as was his son, but he lacked the spirit and wit of the Potion Master.

Voldemort repressed a smirk upon seeing the telltale signs showing his servant's impatience and apprehension at having been summoned. Though Severus had to know why he had been called there.

Deciding to cut to the chase, Voldemort straightened and pinned the Slytherin with his red eyes, amused when his stare was returned. Severus had gained license to speak his mind and look him in the eye at all times several years ago and never lost it.

"I had the most intriguing conversation a week ago, Severus," he said.

"Really, my Lord?"

"Yes, you see I met this young man at the Vampires' confirmation of their High Prince. He was standing by the High Prince and seemed to be held in high regard by the Assembly."

"Most intriguing indeed my Lord," said Snape evenly.

"You failed to inform me of your apprentice's particularities, Severus and I loath surprises as you well know," hissed Voldemort.

Severus sipped on his glass of wine and stayed silent.

"I want answers, Severus. _Who_ is this boy?"

The Potion Master knew he would have to give more than the half-truths and vague information he had told before, with Voldemort now demanding answers.

"As I told you, I found him shortly before his eleventh birthday in London. I saw him perform powerful accidental magic and decided not to let such power go unsupervised. I removed him from the orphanage, erased traces of his existence from the Muggle world and sent him to Nightshades. I took him as my apprentice as soon as he graduated from the school."

Voldemort raised an eyebrow at the explanation. It still left many things unsaid. "You said he was living at an orphanage. Is Julian Richards even his real name?"

"He was abandoned at an early age, four or five year old. There was nothing with him that could give the nuns a clue to his real identity, only a paper saying his name was Julian Richards and that he was born on July the 31st."

Voldemort did a double take upon hearing this.

"How old did you say he is?"

"He just turned seventeen this summer."

Voldemort recalled the boy's looks. He did not have the scar, and held little resemblance to the man he had killed sixteen years ago apart from the black hair and jaw line. The eyes were unnerving but not that uncommon, particularly if he was a Nightshades graduate.

"Seventeen? I thought Nightshades curriculum was seven years long, but you said you sent him there around his eleventh birthday?"

Severus mulled over his glass, trying to find a way out of answering this question to no avail.

"He graduated two years early and has been working under my care since then. He came of age just recently…" he bit out.

The Dark Lord raised an eyebrow at this.

"Two years…" he pondered this new information. "You always had flair for new recruits, Severus."

Severus bowed his head.

"What can you tell me about your apprentice, Severus?"

The Potions Master scowled at his glass and wondered how he could limit the damage. Blast that boy for putting him in this situation, now how could he salvage whatever advantage he had?

"He fulfilled Nightshades' graduation requirements but he did not confide in me his specialization. Furthermore, he is a Parselmouth."

He looked up to see the Dark Lord choke on his wine.

"What!"

Severus winced at his mistake; so the boy had been discrete…

"He is a Parselmouth, my Lord, though I do not know how he came to inherit this gift."

Voldemort composed himself, his interest in the young man increasing.

"He might descend from a minor bastard branch… after all, there were many that hid their Slytherin heritage as time passed… I will look into this; he might be related to me no matter how distantly."

And it would give him a grip over the boy. Blood links among kin were strong in the wizarding world, and much power could be gained through blood. Putting this aside, he went back to the matter at hand.

"I assume his connections to the vampires and werewolves stem from his stay in Nightshades," he said, deciding to pursue another line of questioning.

Severus nodded.

"Indeed, his mentor was a vampire prince."

"High Prince Evan… He was lucky to be assigned to him then… What can you tell me of his skills?"

Severus tightened his lips.

"He isn't very forthcoming and I mainly focused on his Potion skills. Foolish wand-waving holds little appeal to me"

Voldemort smirked a little. "That did not stop you from getting your Dueling Mastery, Severus."

"Indeed, but as for the boy, he will pass his mastery come Easter."

"Does he have your skill?" inquired Voldemort.

Severus pondered over this question.

"He will be a skilled Master; he has a rather instinctual grasp over the subject that will serve him well should he pursue a career as a researcher."

Voldemort nodded. He could do with another Master, in particular, one able to speak Parseltongue. He had been toying with the idea of brewing several potions invented by Salazar Slytherin. Unfortunately the brewer needed to be a Parselmouth and he himself wasn't skilled enough to try them. This might be the right occasion and if the boy was anything like Severus, he would not pass up the opportunity to get his hand on a rare Potions text.

"And what of his other skills?"

Severus took a sip of his wine. It was now time for some half-truths; he had absolutely no desire to inform Voldemort of his apprentice's power. It was too soon to lay down all his cards.

"I know he graduated with honors and several masteries."

"In which subjects?" Voldemort's voice was cutting.

"Dueling, Defense, Transfiguration and Charms."

Voldemort furrowed his brows.

"Don't they teach anything else at this school?"

Severus hid a smirk.

"They do, but I only received the equivalent of his grades as NEWTs grades accompanied by his Mastery certificates. I know he was taught some of the Forgotten Arts, but apart from the Mind Arts I was not told what."

The Potion master carefully forgot to speak of the informal letter Karal had sent him, detailing all the boy's grades. The sheer variety, power and intelligence they hinted at were not something he wanted to reveal this soon in the game.

Voldemort eyed his man. He wasn't telling everything, that was sure. After all, he would have done the same thing in his place. But he wanted the boy and he would get him.

"An interesting young man," he started with a smirk.

Severus looked at him with a small frown, probably wondering where this was leading.

"Witty and intelligent without doubt," he continued with a slight hiss. He paused and decided to go straight to the point since his Prince wasn't rising to the bait.

"I want him at Lazarin tomorrow, Severus. He will assist Devlin and stay with me to get some first hand experience." He repressed a chuckle at seeing the pale face of the Potion master; it was good to know that he could still unsettle the man.

"A problem, Severus?"

The man gathered his composure quickly.

"No, my Lord, but there is the matter of the apprentice laws and the fact that I cannot deal with all the demands for Potions alone…"

"Which is why I'll send one of Devlin apprentices to help you. As to the rules, I'm sure you'll agree that Devlin holds high enough of a rank to make such a switch acceptable."

Seeing the dark scowl on the Potion master's face, he made a note to send the worst of the three apprentices.

Severus knew when he had been beaten. He was no Gryffindor and knew would gain nothing by antagonizing the Dark Lord. He then changed his line of attack.

"Very well, my Lord, I will inform the boy as soon as possible. However, I will request his return two days before Halloween."

"Why?"

"Since he came of age, his presence is required at Nightshades for their annual gathering. It is compulsory for him to attend."

"I'm sure the Headmaster will understand his absence."

Severus hid a smirk. This time he would win this round.

"I think not, my Lord. Every Nightshades alumnus is required to attend, something about rituals. Preventing one from going is signing your death warrant."

Voldemort looked in his glass. He hated having to submit to anything. But he wasn't ready to take on Nightshades, not now when things seemed to be turning into his favor.

"Very well. He will go then."

Severus bowed his head.

"Thank you my Lord. I also need to point out that the boy is not marked and has yet to take a side. He will refuse to join raids."

Seeing the annoyed glint shining in the Dark Lord's eyes, Severus wondered if he had gone a bit too far.

"And what is stopping me from marking him, Severus?" he hissed warningly.

"He will not willingly agree to it; not now at least." _Never, most surely_ he thought. He couldn't see the young man bowing to anyone.

"It is a minor point, Severus."

"But the fact that he might call on Nightshades to back him should you push him would present heavy drawbacks to your plans, My Lord."

Voldemort drained the rest of his wine and stood up.

"Very well, Severus. Apprentice Richards will return two days before Halloween but is required to return to Lazarin once the gathering is over. He won't be compelled to go on raids unless he wishes to do so, but I will expect him to respect me and I want his word that he won't make any attempt on my life while at my side."

Severus nodded tersely.

"I will see that it will be done, my Lord."

A victorious smirk spread on the Dark Lord's face. _Check._

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Dumbledore's gaze swept over the gathered Order. His mind was still reeling from the Vampire ceremony that had occurred about a week ago.

He had looked forward to it, hoping to find some allies from the clans that had not already sworn loyalty to Voldemort. He knew the Vampires and Werewolves were nearly a lost cause. Too many Ministry edicts targeting their rights had made his chance to get their support next to impossible. However, he had hoped to sway the Veelas, the Nymphs and the Wood Elves on his side.

Voldemort's presence had been at the forefront of his senses as soon as he had arrived, as he knew his own presence would be in the Dark Lord's.

He had not paid a lot of attention to the ceremony, except to assess the new prince. He had had to admit the young Immortal would make a formidable foe. There was no doubt that the young vampire was already capable of wielding considerable powers, despite his extremely young age. With time and experience, he would refine his hold on his magic and expand his knowledge, soon surpassing his Sire in terms of Magical power.

Dumbledore had hoped the Princeps would choose Thanin. The older Vampire prince was easier to manipulate and was in fact, quite vain. The Aged wizard had met him several times and knew he could have been convinced to remain neutral in the war.

But this Evan was a wild card: freshly out of Nightshades, with a tightly knit group of peers surrounding him, if the bemoaning from many courtiers of the Vampire court was to be believed. Dumbledore could not see anyway to approach him yet.

He spent the evening talking with representatives of the Wood Elves, Veelas, Nymphs, Goblins and Sirens. None of them were ready to make a clear move to one of the two sides for now. He had had to satisfy himself with their neutrality for the moment.

He had just finished talking to a pair of Veelas when he spotted the Dark Lord striding to a shadowed corner in the room. Frowning, he had tried to see who the Dark Lord was so interested in speaking to. He had watched as they talked, the tall form of Voldemort hiding his interlocutor to him. Finally, a Vampire had come and had said something that seemed to annoy the Dark Lord if the spike in his aura had been anything to go by.

The one he had been talking to said a few things before taking his leave, not bowing.

So he couldn't have been a follower…

Dumbledore had watched this scene countless times in his pensieve during the past week, trying to identify the young man who had walked confidently to meet with a group composed of the strongest Vampire and Werewolf leaders, obviously familiar with them, given the warm welcome he received.

He hadn't missed the smug look Voldemort had shot him.

He had turned to Moody who had come with him to the Acknowledgement, his fake eye whirling around.

"A problem, Albus?"

Albus had pointed to the youth dressed in silver.

"Who is he?"

Moody had turned his eye to the youth.

"Julian Richards, Nightshades graduate, he was the one standing by the High Prince. But he's no vampire, of that you can be sure."

Albus' head had shot toward the scarred man.

"What do you mean?"

"The boy is no more a vampire than you and I, Albus. He's a wizard, though I can't get anything from him. There seems to be something blocking me."

Albus had looked the youth up and down. He was young, about seventeen, tall with pale skin and dark hair. His bearing and mannerisms were oddly familiar, though.

"I don't know any family by the name of Richards… A Muggleborn?"

Moody had shrugged.

"I don't think so, Nightshades is quite picky about who it accepts. A Muggleborn wouldn't survive long. And he's too good; he caught those daggers like they were nothing. Those snakes of his are impressive too."

Albus had asked the four people who had accompanied him to ask around about this youth and all he learned was that the young man had gone to Nightshades and been assigned the High Prince as mentor. Aside from this information, the guests remained closed mouthed about him.

For the past week, he had called on his spies and contacts to get as much information about this youth as he could. That he interested Voldemort was already cause for alarm, but given his apparently close ties to the clans of Vampires, Werewolves and many other Creatures, he could be a real asset if they could sway him to their side.

Albus had to repress some distaste at the thought of Nightshades and its headmaster Karal. He knew the Vampire as he had asked the man for access to the famed Library of the School only to be refused. He knew nothing of the tuition of the school, only that its students achieved some of the highest N.E.W.T. scores and that the best masters came from there. No one had been inside without invitation.

He had tried to get Karal to follow the Wizarding International Confederation's Educational Standardization Decree of 1870, which outlined what was allowed to be taught in magical schools and who was allowed admission. By then, several amendments had been made to the decree to adapt it to modern times. It allowed students to be able to transfer more easily as all the schools were required to teach the same core subjects, the optional courses left to the Headmaster's whims.

However the Vampire had used the autonomy card to back his refusal and had cut all ties with the world. Nightshades had been shadowed by many mysteries before, guarding jealously its secrets, but since that time, its name had grown to be both revered and feared.

Nightshades had been the first school built in Europe and its founder had obtained complete autonomy for the school. Dumbledore had tried to get something similar for Hogwarts, but hadn't managed to secure the school's financial independence. They needed the Ministry's subventions and the board of governors' financial backing to keep the castle running: there was food to buy, professors to pay, school furniture to purchase, plants and creatures to acquire for lessons, repairs over the summer… Unless he wanted to raise the school fees to double their current amounts, he needed the Ministry's backing.

Yet Karal apparently was not concerned in the slightest by the financial aspect, securing the school with wards not even Dumbledore could pierce.

He had been the head of the group sent to reason with Karal. Dumbledore sighed. He had been impulsive then, quick to act, so sure of his own power. He had forgotten that Karal was a Vampire with hundreds of years of experience. His power had been as useful as a hammer in the hand of a child.

He had learnt better since then and knew better than to take on more than he could chew. He could only feel grateful that Nightshades alumni usually kept out of politics and preferred to stay behind the scenes, happy to be left alone to their devices.

But Dumbledore was not blind; he could see how they were slowly rising to positions of influence, carefully without raising alarm and keeping a low profile.

However Nightshades was not his concern for the moment, except that this boy was a former student of Karal and right in the middle of this war.

He took a deep breath and cleared his throat, catching the attention of all of those that had been quietly talking.

"Good evening, friends," he paused, trying to think of the best way to broach the subject. "As you all know, I, with four members of this order went to witness the Acknowledgement of the Vampire High Prince Evan, the youngest son of the Princeps."

"The youngest son, Albus? Shouldn't it be the eldest?"

The old man shrugged. "I don't know what motivated Princeps Thoran's choice. But this Evan will be a force to be reckoned with."

"The Vampires will side with Voldemort, won't they?"

Dumbledore nodded grimly.

"They will; there was little hope to bring them to our side. We will probably also lose the Werewolves. All we can hope from them is neutrality."

Grim looks spread around the table. The current situation was already difficult enough without throwing the vampires and werewolves in the mix.

"But that is not why I called you all here tonight." He clapped his hands, gathering everyone's attention. "Voldemort," he suppressed a grimace as everybody shivered, "was also there with four Death Eaters and took quite the interest in a young man that had been standing by the High Prince during the ceremony."

He waved his hand and a piece of his memory played out on a large screen, stopping when it focused on a young black-haired man dressed in fancy silver robes.

Whispers broke out in the room as the picture zoomed in on the youth's face.

"That's Richards," finally said Bill, squinting at the screen.

Albus' head spun to face Bill.

"You know him?"

The eldest Weasley shook his head.

"I've heard of him and seen him at the bank though I never actually met him." Bill paused.

"I think he was part of a team of men which came to reinforce the Gringotts wards two or three years ago. I remember we had to block the access to the vaults and send the dragons away for a few days so they could work."

Charlie nodded. "I heard about this. One of the guys at the preserve worked in Germany before and was called to subdue the Goblin dragons. He said they…."

Albus raised his hand.

"Sorry to interrupt you, Charlie, but I'd like to go back to the matter at hand. There aren't any files about him at the Ministry, except for his Graduation diploma. There is no Birth certificate for a Julian Richards, no adoption or name change registration, no copy of nationality change. Before his graduation, there seem to have been no Julian Richards in England. He recently graduated from Nightshades with top scores as well as Masteries in Dueling, Defense, Charm and Transfiguration, the rest of his results are unknown, since the Ministry does not recognize the other subjects taught at that school. Little is known of him. He has close ties to the Vampire and Werewolf clans, like many Nightshades alumni. He is currently apprenticed to a Potions Master though the contract seemed to have been misplaced… I have not been granted access to the Apprentice archives for now."

A soft clearing of throat interrupted him.

"I'm sorry to cut you, Headmaster. But you said he was recently apprenticed to a Potions Master?"

Albus looked closely to the young woman he had hired to replace Severus. She was a Durmstrang graduate and had joined after escaping the massacre of her family.

"Yes, Reena?"

"Four masters took on apprentices the past summer. I know I read the list somewhere… It is always published in _Asphodel for Masters_." She rummaged through the leather bag that was placed next to her.

"Here it is… Master Julio Meligni took apprentice Fiona Terenski, Master Donovan Peterson took apprentice Brittany Harland, Mistress Charlotte Serault took apprentice Aurelien Milard and Master Severus Snape took apprentice Julian Richards..."

Silence followed her statement.

Albus looked surprised, a first for him. "Severus? Are you sure?"

Reena nodded.

"The Guild sends the information to this magazine twice a year. This boy is lucky... to be able to study under Master Snape's tutelage is such an opportunity…" Her voice was wistful. Like many, she had asked the surly Potion genius to apprentice under him only to be refused like all the others…

Sirius snorted. "Lucky? I pity this kid, to have to bear with Snivellus all the time… How come he didn't tell you of this, Albus?"

Dumbledore stayed silent.

"I will see to this. Now, I want all of you to dig all you can about this boy. I think he could make a powerful ally."

"The boy is a Nightshades, he won't take sides," snorted a man slumped in a chair. "And you know it, Albus."

Albus tightened his lips. "Do you have something to add, Mundungus?"

The man's head swayed from one side to the other in a drunken manner.

"Just leave this boy alone, Albus. He won't ally himself to any side and antagonizing a Nightshades alumni and this one most particularly is not a wise thing to do."

"Is there a point to this, or are you drunk again, Gus?" said a brown haired man down the table.

Mundungus chuckled and leaned back in his chair.

"Do as you will, Albus, I'll just enjoy the show."

Dumbledore waved his hand.

"Ask around, I will talk to Severus about his apprentice and have him send the young man to stay at Hogwarts; it would be a good learning experience for the boy."

Reena shook her head.

"Headmaster, Potion apprenticing has different rules. The apprentice staying with his master or at least in the same compound is one of the requirements. To allow his apprentice to leave the place where his master is would make the contract forfeit. The only other possibility would be to make a switch of apprentice with another Master."

"Why not make this switch then?" exclaimed an ash blond-haired man. "You could take on an apprentice!"

Reena shook her head again.

"It wouldn't even be considered should I request such a switch. Not even the Headmaster could get the Guild to agree. The Masters making such a change must be of similar standing. I'm far from equaling Severus Snape's skill. I think only four or five men come close."

"Who?"

"There are two in Japan, one in Brazil, one in Poland and another one in Britain."

"Who is it?" Albus asked eagerly.

"Krishna Devlin."

The Headmaster's face fell a little. "He is one of Voldemort's prime brewers."

"So the boy is living with Death Eaters on a daily basis? And you want to approach him, Albus! He is probably one of them already!" shouted Molly Weasley.

Dumbledore raised a hand in a placating gesture.

"Calm down, Molly. Nightshades alumni are forbidden to enter bonds of allegiance during their first post graduation year. He couldn't have taken Voldemort's mark without dying in the process. Now, keep your eyes and ears opened for information about these youths, they kept close for the whole night, I will give you their photos at the end of the meeting."

Remus peered at the faces.

"At least two of them are werewolves. This one is part of a pack living in Nothumberland, near Newcastle," he pointed to a blond-haired young girl, "and this one," he pointed to her auburn-haired companion, "is from a pack living close to Exeter in Devon."

"The Silvermoon and Darknight packs," whispered Albus.

Remus nodded. "They are among the most influential ones."

The Headmaster glanced at the young man that had been the center of their whole meeting.

"We need to find him. This could be the opportunity to tip the scales in our favor."

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At the same time, another meeting but a more informal one was taking place upstairs with all the teen members of the core of the Junior Orders having been called to Hogwarts for more training and protection.

Neville Longbottom was pacing up and down the room, while his friends were sprawled around in various chairs, couches or on the floor.

"Neville, would you sit down, please. You're giving me a headache!" snapped a brown haired girl.

"You don't understand Hermione! He wants me to be this fearless leader when I'm not! How can he expect me to lead people into battle!"

The girl sighed. "I assume, he refused then."

Neville slumped on a sofa next to a red haired boy.

"He wouldn't hear of it, keeps talking about how I underestimate myself, that with the intensifying of my training I would see that it was my destiny…"

"No offense to you, Neville; but you are made for command as Hermione is made for flying," said Ron Weasley

The stocky young man raked a hand through his hair in exasperation. "Tell that to Dumbledore!"

An Asian girl looked piercingly at him. "Do you have any idea why he keeps on pushing you?"

"Apparently there was a prophecy made that said either me or Harry Potter would be the one to kill the Dark Lord," sighed Neville.

"Harry Potter? Didn't he disappear?"

"He did, Cedric. Dumbledore thinks him dead and so I'm the only choice left."

"But there never was any proof that he is dead!" snapped Terry Boot. "I read somewhere that the Potter manors and vaults were still active. It was in an article about old families. They called it the Potter mystery."

"What does this have anything to do with Potter?"

Hermione gave a suffering sigh.

"Don't you ever read! As long as an heir is alive, the magic protecting the ancestral manor and guarding the vaults is active, more so if they had been set in defensive mode as I expect they were, being at war at the time. It was made so that thieves and the Ministry couldn't get their hands on the Family's heirlooms. In the event of the death of the line, a notice would be sent to their lawyer firm which would then take care of the sharing."

She kept droning over the subject in her textbook voice until Ron cut her.

"That's fine, Hermione, I think we all got the point."

Ignoring the affronted look she sent him, he turned to Neville.

"I usually trust that Dumbledore knows best, but here, I think he really doesn't understand the situation."

"What do you propose to do then, Ronald, if you are, O so knowledgeable?" snapped Hermione.

Ron ignored her, used to her snapping and bossiness by this time.

"Let's pretend. Neville you concentrate on your training and side-studies as a healer and leave us the actual commanding of the Juniors, alright. As long as you appear to be in charge, Dumbledore won't have anything to say if you play your figurehead part."

"He will see through it; do you really think he would fall for something like this?"

Ron nodded. "Face it Neville, he is busy with Voldemort right now. We've been losing ground for four years now and he has better things to do than make sure you are really the one leading us. If you play your part and appear to be in charge, he won't pry any deeper."

Susan Bones nodded her head in agreement. "Ron has a point here."

Neville shrugged. "Why not, it won't hurt to try…"

"That's the spirit, Neville!" said one of the red-haired twins. "Now enough with these gloomy talk, who's up for a game of Exploding cards?" finished the second one, shuffling the cards expertly.

"Only if we take my deck. I'm not using your cards…" said Katie Bell, rummaging through a drawer.

The portrait of an old man looked at the youths with a cheerless face. It was such a shame to see children having to play an adults' game. Such a thing wouldn't have been allowed in his time but like he had been telling that dear Geraldine over tea in that lovely painting the other day, things had changed and not in a good way if you wanted to know!

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Severus Snape flooed back to Ython in a foul mood and stormed to his quarters, ignoring the calls of the three men on duty in the Floo room. Fortunately for those men, they thought it better not to try to bother the Potions Master, a wise thing given the rage flowing through the surly man.

He slammed the door to his quarter shut, relishing in the loud noise.

He hated being bested and abhorred the simple idea of not coming out on top of things… But he knew when he had to lie low.

Now, he needed to play carefully. He expected a missive from Dumbledore soon, and would only give the old man the information he had given the Dark Lord, which was more than he had expected to have to reveal. But it was happening sooner than he had thought it would.

However, he now needed to find his apprentice and explain a few things to him… Glancing at his watch, he spotted the hand of his apprentice pointed to experimenting.

Reining in his anger, he used Occlumency methods to calm his mind and sharpened it to a blade. He needed to think clearly, now more than ever before. There was too much at stake. Shrugging off his cloak, he placed it on a chair, careful not to wrinkle it before heading to the high security labs of the compound.

Stopping before an obsidian door, he placed his hand over the circle of runes in the middle of it then spoke his name clearly.

High Security Lab access was strictly controlled. Only registered people could enter after a vocal, biometric and magical check. That tight security was needed to protect the ingredients stores in those labs as well as the notes and the potions of the brewers working inside. It was also for the intruder's protection. Experiments often went wrong and could cause a lot of damage: toxic fumes that could be colorless and odorless, explosions ranging in violence from a small cracker to a small bomb, corrosive acids…. The list went on. After the tragedy that had occurred a century ago in Opal, a small Italian school where a Potions Master had been experimenting and generated toxic fumes that killed everyone in the school before the authorities could stop it, strong security measures had been set up by the potion Guilds.

A soft click was heard as the door slid to the side to let him enter. He immediately spotted his young charge on the right side, the left one being his. They currently were the only two to have access to this room.

The protective wards were up if the shimmer around the young man was any sign of it.

Severus watched with pleasure the graceful and smooth movements of his student as he worked, a recording quill writing in a journal away from the working table, so as to not risk damaging his notes.

"…. Ginger roots appear to stabilize the solution as well as delay the aggregation of the Hungarian Horntail and Griffin bloods allowing the brewer to use Karinsky neutral tampering solution to prevent the explosive reaction of these two components as it was described by Master Ferilton. I used the Russian inversion in the tampering solution since it was recorded in my previous experiment that the addition of Digitalis purpurea petals, more commonly known as foxglove reacted in a negative way with the roots and petals of papaver somniferum to induce the relaxing effect researched. The next step will be to research a way to integrate phoenix ashes to the solution in order to fool the Griffin tears present in Veritaserum in order to break the compulsive traits of the Truth serum."

He took a pinch of white powder in a small bowl and slowly let it fall in the golden cauldron, stirring at the same time, nullifying the contents before he disposed of them. Once he had cleaned his work table, he checked on a few brews he had going on, dictating to his quill his conclusions on the changes or absence of changes that had occurred with them. Once that was done, he raised protective wards then deactivated the quill. Shrinking his journal, he put it in his bag and took down the wards.

"Master Snape," he said, bowing to the man.

"I have to talk to you, apprentice. Follow me."

They quickly made their way through the corridors, eerily similar in their manners, faces blank, cloaks billowing around them as they walked with huge strides.

Stepping inside his Master's private rooms, he remained standing, hands clasped behind his back as Snape went to sit in his chair.

"The Dark Lord summoned me today, apprentice." He paused, piercing his charge with cold onyx eyes. "You were the main cause of this summon and though I had expected such an occurrence, I'm extremely disappointed that it had to occur."

He took a sip of the glass he had poured himself upon entering the room.

"You sparked his interest when you went to Lazarin, your presence and company during the Vampire High Prince Acknowledgement did nothing to lessen it, neither did your little talk from what he told me."

Severus eyed Julian, weighing his words.

"He wants you to go to Lazarin and he did not leave me any choice in that matter. As such I have no other alternative but to make a temporary switch with one of the simpering idiots Devlin took on. I still remain your Master and will keep tabs on your progress."

Julian bowed his head. "Yes, Master."

"The Dark Lord knows your age and birth date, he knows of your results concerning the Ministry approved courses you took as well as your four recognized Masteries. I told him you were taught in the Mind Arts but that I was ignorant of what else you might have been told. I informed him that you graduated two years early and were mentored by High Prince Evan, something he apparently already knew though he seemed to think you were the one to benefit of this bond."

He took another sip.

"He knows you are a Parselmouth. You will then take your menagerie with you." Severus didn't see it fit to inform the boy he had been the one to reveal such a fact. Let him think he had done it; there was no need to tell it had been his own slip.

"He apparently assumes you are of a bastard branch of the Slytherin line and told me he would look into it, so you need to be wary. I don't think I have to explain to you how devastating the uncovering of your lineage would be."

Silence fell on the room as both wizards mulled over what had been said. Finally Severus spoke out again.

"You are aware how fragile our situation is. You are expected in Lazarin tomorrow morning and will be required to stay by the Dark Lord side when he calls you to it."

Julian frowned a little. "Will he mark me? You know I will have to refuse if he asks me."

Severus shook his head.

"You will have neutral status while there and won't be expected to go on raids or mission unless you wish to. However you will have to show a modicum of respect to the Dark Lord. While he agreed you were not his servant and as such he couldn't command you, he will not hesitate to punish you should you disrespect him."

"Very well, master." The young man seemed to remember something. "What about the Gathering, Master Snape? I will have to leave then."

"The Dark Lord agreed to let you leave then for the required time, though you will be expected back to Lazarin once it is over."

Julian nodded pensively. "How long am I expected to stay in Lazarin?"

Snape shot him an icy look.

"You will have to stay there until he loses interest in you or deems you inoffensive enough to let you go. I want to warn you, that should he think of you as a threat, he will kill you or make sure you won't be of any danger to his rule. Be careful, Julian because you won't be allowed to slip there."

The older man sighed aggravatingly.

"Your status as my apprentice will give you a few days to settle in. You will be watched and judged. The Inner Circle in particular will take great interest in you since they might perceive you as a threat to their own power. Tread softly, apprentice."

Julian thinned his lips, his eyes taking an icy glow his Master had never seen before.

This might be the boy who had won the respect of some of the strongest members and youths from the Dark Clans. Snape made a vow to himself never to forget who and what he was dealing with. Now more than ever, he was reminded of the power Karal had shaped to Nightshades's criteria. A pleased smirk tugged at his lips, he needed to start on his plans and take advantage of the unbalance Julian would create when he entered the field.

"I expect you not to besmirch my reputation. You are a Nightshades, behave as such!" Snape took a last swig of his glass, emptying it. "Now, go, I have a lot to think about."

Julian bowed stiffly and left the room, mind reeling from everything that had happened. He had many letters to send tonight.

The young Sorcerer reached his suite and entered, locking the doors behind him. He had expected such a thing but it was coming sooner than he had planned. He looked to the door on his right. It had been an office before Julian had changed it to fit his needs. Karal had been extremely clear on that point this part of his training was to remain a secret. Very little was known about Sorcery by the common wizard and the Covenant wanted it to stay that way. Karal had told him the penalty for revealing Sorcerer's knowledge; Julian did not fancy subjecting himself to the wrath of the Elders of the Covenant for a simple slip of the tongue or a second of carelessness.

"_Kenda_."

A glow started to run around the walls, fading after a few seconds.

Reassured that nobody would be able to spy on him now, Julian turned and walked to his room. With a few waves of his hands and a few whispered commands, he had his bags ready, only needing to pack his training and Potions equipment, something that could only be done by hand. Sorcerers had mastered wandless and wordless magic and had kept this to themselves for centuries, along with the practice of Arts they had made sure were forgotten by the common wizards. These arts required a lot of power and as such could only be performed by a minority of people, something that had sparked resentment and fear in the past.

It took him two hours to gather and ready everything that would be needed to his studies. Once done, he went started on his letters. For an hour, the only sound echoing in the room was that of the quill running over parchment.

With a sigh, Julian put his quill down, re-reading his last letter.

_Evan,_

_Voldemort_ _called today, I'm to go to Lazarin tomorrow morning. I will keep_ _up_ _with the shipments so don't worry on that front, though your masters should now be able to brew half of those potions by themselves._

_Next week's gathering is still on, I got word from Ilana; it seems we're making progress, but I will tell you all next week. _

_I have leave for the Nightshades Gathering but will probably be followed every time I depart. To do away with this minor inconvenience, I will meet you all at Sins in order to lose whoever might be following me at that moment._

_As to the current situation, Voldemort seems to be under the impression that I benefited greatly of being mentored by the High Prince. I'm in no hurry to disabuse him of this notion. Please, spread the word to our acquaintances, I don't want to lay down the cards that soon. _

_I will put up my wards as usual; the password is still the same. Mind your sibilants, I'm thinking of trying my hand at a new defensive enchantment. I, Julian Richards, the name my magic recognized though not my blood, extend an invitation to High Prince Evan. May the Moon watch over our meetings and shine on our friendship._

_Julian_

Nodding, he rolled the twelve parchments piled on the desk and sealed it with silver wax adorned with his mark.

Concentrating on his magic as Karal had instructed him, he cleared his mind, bringing up a precise picture of what he wanted. Folding his hand together, he whispered one of the smaller words of power.

Six chirps were heard as he looked down to see six winged creatures made of shimmering power, looking like a strange cross between a raven, a phoenix and an owl, big as a fist with glowing emerald eyes.

"Take those to their recipients. Make sure no others see them."

With a chirp the six beings flew to the desk and were gone in a flash, the rolls of parchments gone. Taking a look at the clock, he decided to call it an early night. After his usual meditation routine, he read a few chapters of one of the books Karal had lent him. Most of them were recordings of the life of past Sorcerers.

There were few written information on Sorcerers with their preference to transmit their knowledge orally to prevent leaks. Every time a member of the Covenant took an apprentice, they were bound to make sure he or she knew of the history, laws, rules and traditions by heart. The four of five books Karal had lent him were more diaries than history books, but they gave interesting insight on the trials and abilities of these men and women.

All those books were layered with spells and enchantment to make them illegible or invisible to non-Sorcerers. Finishing the page he was currently reading, he sent the book back to its box before checking on the locking and shielding wards he had placed on the rooms in his suite.

Finding everything in order, he relaxed and let sleep claim him… He had an inkling that tomorrow would be a trial on his nerves.

He woke up at dawn and got ready to leave. Stopping by the kitchen, he ate a quick breakfast before heading for his Master's rooms. He knew his master would be waiting for him.

The man was reading a thick magazine, a cup of tea next to him.

"Master?"

"Julian," He eyed his apprentice with a smug smile.

The young man was wearing his Nightshades graduating robes, obviously going for effect. Severus had inspired him of the school robes as a selection of his own clothes and had a tailor modify them according to his requirements.

The cloth clung to his upper torso, enough to show off the toned body characteristic of the school's graduates, but not too much that it would hinder movement. The outfit was made in a shimmering black material that seemed to flow down Julian body. Magically zipped on the side, the cut gave off the feel that Nightshades alumni were royalty compared to the dirt-common others. A black leather belt circled the waist, the sleeves stopping at the wrist, loose enough to allow the wearer to place a wand or dagger holster on the forearm without it being obvious. The school crest was embroidered over the heart in silver: a roaring nundu over a moon crescent with flames ensconcing them. Small runes were spread over the robes, the choice and design up to the student's desires. They could be used to give him greater protection, make him less noticeable… They were barely noticeable, obvious only when pointed out to most people. Black boots, smart dark grey pants and a shimmering black cloak doubled with dark grey Acromantula silk and clasped with the Nightshades broach given to him. His dark hair was tied to the nape of his neck and his pendant was glowing in the torches' lights.

Severus nodded his approval.

"Good. You will give this letter to Devlin and I expect a report once a week. You know what to do and I don't fancy having to repeat myself. You better not disappoint me, apprentice."

"Master," said Julian, bowing slightly to the man.

"Good to see that we understand each other. Now, be gone, someone should be waiting for you at Lazarin."

Nodding once more, Julian exited the room silently and strode to the Floo room, knowing the House elves would take care of his belongings and pay extra attention to his potion and Nightshades training equipment, as well as the chest which insides had been widened, cushioned and warmed with magic to house all the reptiles.

The three men in the room gave him a wide berth as he threw powder in the fire and stepped in, clearly announcing his destination.

He waited as he was dragged in the system, bracing himself for the landing. He aptly stepped out of the hearth, noting with pleasure that his cleanliness rune worked as not a speck of dust could be found on his robe.

He shot a bored look at the three wands held at his head.

"Sershia Sharafth."

He felt the enchantments on the room sweep over him and refrained himself from blocking the scanning. As he waited to get the go ahead, he idly wondered if anyone besides him understood the meaning of this particular password. He had not pictured the Dark Lord as particularly humorous. However he found that having Death Eaters and blood purists for the most part say what roughly translated as "I'm a Mudblood" in Parseltongue hilarious.

"Apprentice Snape?" asked the one who obviously was in charge.

Julian nodded calmly. The Death Eater shot him a strange look before nodding to the one on his right. He went to press the eyes of a small snake. A small pop echoed in the room as a house-elf appeared in front of them.

"What can Tanny do for the masters?"

"Take Apprentice Richards to the room that was prepared for him."

The little creature bobbed his head up and down. "Does Tanny have to bring the bags that came with Snape Elves?"

The Death Eater looked up at Julian, eyebrow raised. "Well, boy?"

Julian repressed a snarl at the name and turned to the little being.

"Have my bags brought to my rooms. The ones with a green crescent go to my apprentice room in the labs. Pay extra attention to those with the silver and gold crests. I will have you punished should they be damaged."

The house elf bowed deeply. "I is understanding what Master is saying. Will young master follow Tanny?"

Julian sharply motioned to the creature to lead the way and followed as it trotted out of the room, giving a tight nod to the guards.

He was once more led through the corridors of the fortress and vowed to himself to explore them, in order to be able to direct himself in the building.

Finally the small creature stopped in front of a cedar door. "Here are your rooms, the Basilisk suite, young master. If you is needing help, call for Tanny or tap the snake."

Julian nodded distractedly as he eyed the door.

"You is needing to put your hand over the snake and tell him your password."

"Good, now leave me. I will call for you to lead me to the labs in a few moments."

"Yes, young Master."

The house-elf popped away leaving Julian standing thoughtfully before the entrance of his rooms.

"_Grey Haven" _he hissed quietly. The door glowed for a few minutes then clicked open.

Clenching the knob down, he pushed them and stepped in, extending his magical senses to get a taste of the enchantment that might have been cast.

He nearly reeled back from the amount of magic pooled there. Focusing on the flows he quickly identified them. Several charms related to cleaning, maintenance, heat regulation. A few enchantments to take care of the locking and warding of the suite were overlooked, though Julian made sure no others were tweaked with them.

The next set made him smile predatorily.

Recording and magical sensitive wards, several spying devices on various paintings, vases, and spell recorders on the ceiling were the main core of them if you didn't count the see-through mirror and paintings.

Julian closed his eyes, withdrawing a little, pondering over the best course of action to adopt.

Finally he took out his wand, knowing he hadn't yet reached the level of control and finesse with his wandless magic needed for this task.

He cast several privacy wards, an enchantment he had designed to dampen spying charms. It would feed from those spells, charms or enchantments until they faded. It would then go dormant, only to be reactivated if the spells were cast again.

Satisfied that his privacy would stay private, he moved to the other rooms, repeating the enchantments and charms everywhere. The suite was a bit bigger than the one he had been living in at Ython: there was a bedroom, a living-room, a bathroom and an office.

Fifteen minutes after, he had the office emptied, the furniture going to the other rooms and he brought inside the two chests with the golden Ouroboros crest on its lid. Closing the door, he cast the strongest ward he knew, cutting himself completely from the rest of the building, needing to be sure nobody would know what he was about to do in this room.

Checking on the ward and reassured that it would hold, he dropped his Dissolvency and raised his power, letting it sweep around the room and burn all the enchantments tied to the chamber. Once he was sure the room was magic-free, he called back his magic and walked to the largest chest, taking off the many locking spells on it. Rummaging through it, he took out four vials of a silvery blood red liquid, one filled with a thick translucent liquid and a wooden box.

Taking the box, he gently emptied it on the floor, amber and quartz beads tinkling against the stones.

With quick gestures, he sorted them into four piles then started to attach them to the walls, doors and ceiling, using the translucent contents of the fifth vial to stick them to the stone.

There seemed to be little sense to the organization of the beads which seemed randomly spread around, but Julian knew better. He had had to memorize many patterns during his study and had taken a particular liking to this one because people inevitably felt confused when confronted with the pattern.

Once he was sure everything was in place he uncorked the first vial of blood red liquid and dipped his finger in it, before starting to paint different runes on the walls, linking the different beads together. The liquid glowed silver for three seconds before fading away, leaving no hints of its use behind. For the following twenty minutes, he drew those symbols on the walls, completely focused on his task. The slightest mistake could not be corrected, that was the drawback of using this particular mix, but the added power and durability of this particular brew made up for its inconveniences.

Finally the drawing part was done. Putting the empty vials in the chest, he focused on his magic and slowly let it loose, monitoring it carefully as it permeated the web of runes and beads. He let out a sigh of relief when power started to flow peacefully through the runes.

This was his personal warding technique. Being able to shield your room was a necessity to survive in Nightshade. All the students usually came up with their own combination and kept it well guarded. From their first to third year, they were under the protection of the Nightshades' laws and their mentor's responsibility. After that, they were fair game to the other school students.

_Survival of the fittest._

That could have been the school motto. If you couldn't, you either left or disappeared, never to be seen again.

Julian knew he should be thankful for these rules and Evan's status in the school or he would have been forced to show his hand sooner than he had had to. That had allowed him to cover his back and lay down his base and spy network in the school thanks to the paintings, ghosts, house elves, poltergeists, creatures, statues and various other magical beings roaming the school and most of the time over looked by its occupants. That had been an invaluable source of blackmail material.

But now was not the time to reminisce about the past.

Checking over the blood rune ward he had just set up, he smiled upon seeing it was working perfectly. Turning to the other chest, he waved his hand, speaking a strong word of power. Ten seconds later, all his training equipment was set up in the room. A dueling ring stood in one corner, a target in another. His seer, summoning and runic equipment were neatly packed on a few shelves. Another ring was drawn up in another corner, this one destined to be his wandless and Parsel training.

Glad to see nothing had been damaged during the traveling, he left the room activating the ward to its slightly above average level of security. After all, he wanted who ever would be stupid enough to try to snoop in a Nightshades' graduate room alive enough to be able to talk.

Walking in the living room, noting that his bags were placed in a corner and waiting to be unpacked, he summoned a house-elf and was soon on his way to the dungeons.

Finally Tanny stopped before the laboratory's doors. "Does young master has need for Tanny?"

"Is there a way for me to know how to direct myself here without having to call you?"

The House-elf bobbed his head up and down. "If young master can talk to snakes, young master can ask them direction."

"Snakes?"

Tanny eagerly pointed to the barely discernable slithering forms engraved in the walls.

Julian nodded, that would simplify things.

"That will be all, thank you."

The little being bowed deeply then popped out. However it made a double take upon being thanked; something which highly amused Julian. He didn't particularly care about the creatures, but he thought it wiser to have them on his side. After all, they could make themselves real nuisance through thousands of ways if they took a dislike to you. Some of his peers had found out about this the hard way.

As he was about to look for those snakes on the wall, he spotted a man walking his way. Moving a little, he made sure the man would not be able to pass without asking him to move.

It didn't fail.

After waiting a few seconds, the Death Eater made an annoyed sound. "What are you doing here, blocking the passage, boy, don't you think I have better things to do!"

Julian repressed a smirk as he turned to him, displaying his Snape crest.

The Death Eater backed away a little and Julian took advantage of his surprise.

"Can you tell me how to go to Devlin's lab?" he asked coolly, underlying his voice with a faint compulsion.

Before he could realize what was going on, the Death Eater had given the young man the directions and Julian immediately walked away.

Five minutes he stopped in front of the lab's doors.

Knocking sharply, he waited to be allowed inside. Stepping in as a barked "enter" was heard from within, he looked around.

Few things had changed. The man's apprentices were still running from one potion to the other, apparently not having learnt their lesson. Julian nearly pitied the one who would be sent to his own master, key word being "nearly". After all, there was no excuse for stupidity.

He spotted Devlin hunched over a cauldron away from his apprentices and walked to him.

The man sprinkled a black powder in the platinum cauldron and stepped back as a cloud of pink smoke came out of the cauldron.

"The Rejuvenating Draught," taking a look at the ingredients, Julian paused, pondering over their use, "coupled with a sort of cosmetic potion…"

Devlin had straightened up, startled at the proximity of the young man.

"Morgana's tits! Don't sneak on me like this, boy!"

The man stirred the potion which was currently a light purple shade until it shifted to a dark blue one. Once that was done, he lowered the flame under the cauldron and set up a timer.

"So you're back, boy. You're correct on both accounts. Come on, we must discuss away from those gossip mongers!" he snapped, looking pointedly at his apprentices while saying the last part.

He led Julian through a side door.

They entered a spare looking office, with a desk, a large cupboard, several empty shelves and two chairs being the only pieces of furniture occupying the space. His potion-related bags were neatly piled on a corner.

"This will be your office for the duration of your stay. You are allowed there whenever you want. I will show you the reserves and the apprentice room in a moment. First, is there anything you wish to know?"

Julian looked around, taking in the room's lay out. "Is there a high security laboratory here? I'm currently working on my thesis for my Mastery and will need access to a well shielded lab. Some of the components I'm working with are quite volatile."

Devlin nodded. "We will register you to grant you access. You will be the only one there for now. I do not have time for experiments at the moment; neither do the three other masters currently working here. Anything else?"

"How does this exchange work exactly?"

Devlin gave him a wry smile.

"The old bat was not really forthcoming, was he?" Not waiting for an answer, he continued, "I will be your supervisor, Severus will remain your Master and everything regarding your Mastery will have to be relayed to him."

Julian remembered the letter Snape had given him and handed it to the Potion master. Devlin peered at its contents, the widening of his eyes showing his surprise.

"Impressive, extremely impressive, boy." He handed it back to Julian. "I look forward to discussing some of these with you. The conversation is sadly lacking nowadays."

"As you wish, Master Devlin."

"Call me Devlin, boy and leave the master to those idiots next door. That reminds me I need to send one of them to Severus."

Julian had to repress a snort. None of them would survive a week with his master. His patience was next to non-existent and he abhorred incompetence. He gave them a week at most before they were sent back. Devlin seemed to share his point of view.

"Shall we make a little wager, apprentice?"

Julian just smirked; he felt he was going to like this man.

"What are the stakes, sir?

"The loser will have to brew the next batch of Wolfbane."

Julian repressed a smile. This potion was a right pain to brew. Not particularly difficult when it came to ingredients and their preparations. But it required precise and timed additions. One second too early or too late and the whole thing had to be started back from scratch.

"I'm in."

Devlin nodded, obviously pleased. "Then, I wager that it will take Severus a week to reduce one of my apprentices to puddle of babbling flesh and send it back."

Julian smiled back, clasping the offered hand.

"I think it will take him even less."

Devlin just raised an eyebrow. "We will see, apprentice. Now, I will show you around, clear your access to the H.S. labs and introduce you to my colleagues."

They went back to the main lab room.

"Apprentices. This is Apprentice Julian Richards, as you already knew. Our Lord required him to come to Lazarin to further his studies and thus asked me and Golden-ranked Master Snape to make a switch of Apprentices."

The three young men were hanging at Devlin, drooling at the opportunity to leave. After all, they thought nothing could be worse than Devlin.

"Apprentice Vallez, you will leave at lunch for Ython. Go ready your belongings and come see me before you leave."

A tall, gangly, dark-haired, olive skinned man bowed deeply.

"Yes, Master. Thank you Master."

Devlin made a dismissive gesture before turning back to Julian. "See this," he pointed to a wooden board. "I will put your assignments as well as the quantities required there everyday. I leave the scheduling up to you. Once you have completed an order, strike it from the board. Now, follow me." He walked to an oak door in the back.

"Here are the reserves. You'll find most of the more common ingredients there as well as spare brewing equipment. The more expensive or rarer ingredients are stored in the room next door. I won't restrict your access to it. I trust you know the worth of these ingredients and will use them with care and discernment. Am I understood, boy?"

Julian nodded. That was no different from what his own master had said.

"Vials and storage boxes are in the main room on the right side. There are a few reference texts there too, but I expect you to have your own sets."

For the following hour, Julian followed Devlin around, registered himself to have access to the H.S. labs, and met the other masters and brewers present. Finally they stepped into the Apprentice rooms.

Most of the apprentices were housed there or at least had a room for them to relax. There was also a large living room for late nights.

"The Dark Lord required a private room for you, so you won't have to room here. There is one reserved for you anyway. Here it is."

Julian entered a small cozy room done in warm earthly tones with a table, an armchair, a set of large drawers, and several empty shelves.

"I'll leave you to your device now, boy. I have better things to do than play babysitter. You have the day to settle in. Lunch is served from 11 am to 1 pm, dinner from 7 pm to 9 pm. Should the Dark Lord require it, everyone will have to attend a meal at the same time."

Devlin shot him a wry look.

"Now listen, boy. I don't know nor care about you. I am aware I was just a means to have you here. Your only duty to me will be to keep me updated on your assignments. I trust you know well enough about potions from that old bat not to require supervision and to start an argument with me. That said, as long as the potions are brewed, I do not care about the _How_. "

That was fine with Julian; it even gave him more freedom than he had had with his own Master.

"Now, I need to get rid of Vallez, do whatever you wish, I will be in my labs."

Julian bowed slightly. "Very well Sir."

Devlin snorted and left, door slamming behind him.

Chuckling, Julian looked around. He wasn't going to leave things of his own here; it was too much of a security risk, though he might use this room as a socializing place. Exiting it, he focused on the stone, looking for the serpentine design the House-elf had told him of.

"_Greetings, wise one"_

The stone surface rippled as the design came to life.

"_Greetings speaker, what is it that you seek?"_

Julian assumed the engravings had been infused with only enough magic to serve one purpose.

"_I seek the Basilisk suite."_

"_A suite worthy of a Speaker._ _Turn right and then third on your left. Go down one level then second on your left and first on your right. The suite is the third door."_

"_My thanks, wise one"_ answered Julian, committing the directions to memory.

"_You're welcome, Speaker." _

The design stilled as the young man started to walk through the corridors and reached his suite without much hassle. He encountered a few people but none had stopped him. His foreboding expression and the Snape crest charm he had cast were easily visible.

"_Grey Havens" _The door clicked open and Julian stepped in, closing it behind him.

He started on his unpacking and an hour later, the rooms had gained a more lived-in feeling. The shelves were stuffed with books and rolls, thief-repelling wards on them. A few paintings had been hung on the walls in the place of those already present, the wardrobe was filled with Julian's clothes, and the desk in the bedroom was covered with his currents works. He had placed several knick-knacks he had gathered with the years around the rooms. All in all the rooms look more like scholars rooms than the suite of a dangerous wizard.

Julian wanted it this way. He wanted the people entering his domain to underestimate him and think him harmless. The color scheme had been altered from the definitively Slytherin color scheme to an earthly, wooden ones. All of his snakes had been freed from the chest and were slithering around.

He took out a book dealing with the use of salamander's acid in basic solutions. He wasn't far in his readings when a quiet knocking interrupted him.

Walking to the door, he opened it to reveal a young blond dressed in black robes with a grey trim, which meant he hadn't be branded yet, but would soon be. He watched as the blond eyed him, wariness entering his eyes.

"Potion Apprentice Richards?"

"Yes?"

"The Dark Lord requires your presence in the audience room."

Julian repressed a scowl. He wasn't really in the mood for political waltzes and talks where every word had another meaning. But he knew he didn't really have the choice

"Very well, give me a minute."

He closed the door. Straightening his clothes, he put on his cloak.

"_Where are you going, young master?"_

Julian turned to Kahn.

"_The Dark Lord called for me."_

"_The other Speaker…"_

"_Take one of us with you, speaker,"_ hissed Salya, her dark body shining in the torches' lights, "_I don't want you alone with him, you are ours."_

Julian repressed a smile. "_Of course, who will come?"_

They started hissing too fast for him to understand but finally Layn slithered up his leg and settled around his left forearm.

"_I will guard you today, Speaker."_

Julian agreed. Layn was the younger of his snakes but one of the more dangerous, though Kahn, Salya and Sostris were not far behind.

Assured that the small Syszt was well covered by his sleeve, he activated his wards before stepping out of the suite.

"Lead the way. I'm sorry I didn't catch your name."

"That's because I didn't give it. I'm Draco Malfoy," answered the young man.

They didn't speak much more till they reached the large ebony doors leading to the audience room.

Still silent, Malfoy opened them and motioned for him to enter.

He immediately got a good look of the room.

It was very Slytherin… Really, the man was pushing the ancestor-worshipping a bit too far. Dark green and silver draperies and paintings retracing the man's life hung on the walls, statues of various species of snakes and Salazar, snakes engraved in the stone…

Voldemort was sitting on an obsidian and black velvet throne, petting a huge Cobra, hissing quietly at it. As the doors closed, he looked up and Julian was once more reminded of the power the Dark Lord carried.

"Come forth, Apprentice, I've been waiting for your arrival."

Julian walked forwards, eyes locked with those of the Dark Lord.

"Lord Voldemort," he said, bowing his head.

"I trust your accommodations were to your liking."

"Indeed, Lord, you were generous."

Voldemort eyed the young man with piercing eyes, letting out a small smile.

"You're really Severus' boy. I'm holding a meeting and wanted you to be present in the place that your master used to hold."

Julian nodded silently and went to stand next to the huge Cobra who hissed warningly at him.

"_I will watch you, speaker. Do not harm my wizard or you'll feel my wrath!"_

"_Shut up, you overgrown worm! This wizard is mine and you will not touch him!"_

Layn had slithered out of the sleeve and raised half his body up, his fang bared.

"_Layn," _hissed Julian warningly.

"Do not reprimand him, young Parselmouth. Such loyalty should be rewarded. Where did you find him?" Voldemort was eyeing the young snake with envy.

"He was a gift from a friend, Lord."

"A fine gift, indeed," muttered the Dark Lord as Death Eaters started to gather in a half circle in front of the stage where the throne was situated.

For the next three hours, Julian watched how the Dark Lord kept his men in check and how he played them carefully in his hands. He might not wish to follow the man and did not share some of his propaganda, but he could learn a lot from him.

So he watched and listened, refraining from smiling from seeing those purebloods so proud of themselves and of their lineage willingly kneel in front of a man who was one of the very things they were fighting.

And he wasn't the only one.

Voldemort kept an eye on the young man, watching him as he conducted this particular meeting. He didn't miss the wary glances shot his way, particularly by the members of his Inner Circle.

A man was brought forth, as well as several other prisoners, though the latter were only present to help in the breaking of the first. The Dark Lord had decided to make an example of this man who was one of Dumbledore's assassins. The man might preach for the Light, but he was not above using whatever means necessary to win. This man had killed several of his men, even one of his Inner Circle members. Voldemort wanted information and revenge.

And so he watched as his men started to torture the prisoner, trying to extract information, names from the man.

When they got nothing but moans and screams from him, they turned to the three other prisoners they had brought: a young man and two women. They started on the women, torturing them through spells, curses, putting them under the Cruciatus. However the man remained silent, even as they screamed for him to speak, begging for this to stop. The third prisoner was put under the Imperius and made to beat one of the women.

Voldemort let himself relish in the terror and pain of them, enjoying seeing the usually composed purebloods lose their composures. Looking aside, he raised an eyebrow upon seeing the distaste clearly etched on Severus' apprentice.

Returning his attention on the prisoners, he noticed that one of women was dead and the second had obviously lost her mind. The man was obviously on the edge of shattering. Glancing at the assassin, he saw that he was about to pass out from blood loss and given the severity of his wounds, there was little chance he would wake up. That would not do.

He knew from experience that no Legilimency would get him the information he sought, not without killing his victim. The information needed to be given, willingly or not, but could not be taken.

"Take him to a cell and finish the other prisoners, make sure he stays alive," he ordered, motioning dismissively to the bloodied and wounded assassin.

He ended his meeting shortly after that, giving a few tasks to some of his men before dismissing them bar his Inner Circle.

Once the door had closed on the last Death Eater, Voldemort turned to Julian.

"You didn't seem to enjoy this, is there a problem?"

Julian schooled his mask.

"What I think is of little matter."

"On the contrary, I'm interested in the reason that caused a Nightshades graduate to become unsettled by a little information extraction."

Julian looked at the pools of blood staining the marble floor.

"Am I allowed to speak my mind, Lord Voldemort?"

The Dark Lord nodded.

"Do so, boy."

"Then, Lord, I must say I found such a display useless and crass. You got nothing out of this. The man has been trained to withstand torture; he won't speak no matter what you do. So why carry on with free torture, except to derive base pleasure from the pain of another."

Voldemort frowned heavily. "What would you say if I told you I enjoy such spectacles?"

"This is only my point of view, Lord. Though knowing your history, I might understand why…"

Voldemort shot him a long hard look. "Maybe you do, boy. Then pray tell; how would you go about this?"

Julian looked back at the spilled blood, sneering a little at such a waste.

"You have Potion masters that can produce potions to ensnare the senses. You have allies in the Vampire and Veela clans, who are capable of enthralling a full man to obey their whims."

Voldemort peered at him, as if trying to decipher a complicated puzzle.

"You raise some fine points, but sometimes torture is needed to mark the minds and strike fear in the hearts."

Julian shrugged. "Maybe, but even then, it needs to be wielded with a clear head and care."

"Who are you to speak like this to our Lord!" snapped a dark-haired woman, raising her wand.

Julian looked at her calmly.

"I apologize if what I said displeased you. However I was asked to speak my mind, I can't help if what I said wasn't what you wanted to hear."

"That will do, Bella," said Voldemort. "I wanted to introduce my Inner circle to our newest guest. Apprentice Richards will stay with us for some time. Severus was kind enough to let him stay here to further his education."

Julian nodded shortly to the seven adults watching him suspiciously.

"Lord Voldemort, May I be excused?"

"You may, I will however require your presence later in the afternoon."

Julian nodded tersely. "As you wish."

He strode out of the room and headed straight to the High Security laboratory after putting Layn back to his rooms and taking his experimental brewing equipment.

There was nothing like tinkering with volatile ingredients to let out some steam.

For the following week, things followed the same course. Julian juggled his potion duties and Voldemort's wishes, though that left him with a tight schedule.

But he was learning a lot. While Nightshades had taught him about the Arts and Magic, his stay here was teaching him how to manage men. Voldemort might not be the best example, but Julian couldn't deny the man's genius.

He shook his head and focused back on the potion he was brewing. It was the last of those he had been assigned to brew today and he would be done in a few minutes. That would leave him the afternoon to work on his thesis and the potions he needed to brew for his master.

He stopped the fire as the potion turned from a light blue color to a dark midnight blue one. Letting it cool down, he set to clean his work table and readied the vials and jars to store this potion. Once that was over, he went to take the required ingredients for a potion he had wanted to brew for a long time. It was the Chameleon cream which when rubbed on skin, allowed one to blend completely in his environment; Julian had wanted to try this one for a long time.

He started the brewing process and lost himself in it, missing lunch. As he stirred carefully, sprinkling the solution with powder of Demiguise's skin, he heard someone clear his throat loudly.

"Go get some water, Ivan!" he snapped, growing fed up with the other apprentice. Vallez had come back the day before, suffering from a heavy break-down. Devlin had sent Jules Garand to Ython and Vallez to get some rest before starting on the Wolfsbane. That left Ivan Kolskov as the only other apprentice present. He had also taken to annoying the hell out of Julian.

A deep chuckle startled him, but his hands didn't shake, he was not going to screw this brew. He focused on his stirring as he waited for the potion to thicken. Once that was done, he placed a stasis charm on his cauldron and turned to face the one that had interrupted him.

Upon seeing the Dark Lord, he schooled his features.

"Lord Voldemort."

"You really are Severus' boy."

Voldemort eyed the young man, for he was young, even if he didn't look it. He was thoroughly intrigued by him. The main reason was because of the many unknowns surrounding the youth. He had observed as the young man mingled with his men. The Dark Lord was waiting for a confrontation. He knew it would come soon. Young Richards had not stepped forwards, keeping to his labs and rooms or standing quietly at Voldemort's right during meetings.

Devlin had told him when asked that the boy showed promise of being a prime master of Potions, but Voldemort had already known that. For Severus to have taken the youth as his apprentice, he would have to be brilliant.

And he was a Parselmouth.

That had piqued Voldemort's curiosity more than anything. The gift only ran in the Slytherin line and the Dark Lord didn't think he had any blood kin left, no matter how far they were related. He had been taking measures to solve this mystery. If the boy was of Slytherin blood… That would give him a claim on him.

He focused back on the young man.

"You were absent at lunch and I wanted to require your presence tonight, I will have some guests I'm sure you'll be happy to see."

Julian raised an eyebrow. "I will be present, Lord."

"Good, I will leave you to your work then."

The Dark Lord chuckled darkly, seeing that the young man was already back to his brewing. He would have usually punished such a behavior, but he had to admit he liked the fire of this young man. He was reminded of himself at that age. Moreover, the young man was not his, not yet at least.

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Julian headed for the Dining Hall, Salya hidden on his left forearm. He was wearing formal Dark green robes with shimmering black embroidering along with a black cloak closed by his Nightshades clasp.

"_You are happy, young master."_

"_That I am, Salya. I managed to successfully brew the Chameleon cream. It's a bit runny, but not enough to make it useless. It should still have the same properties."_

Salya hissed her approval as they stepped in the Dining hall and walked to take his seat next to Devlin and started to discuss with the master about the Chameleon brew.

Slowly, the room started to fill with Death Eaters and soon the only ones missing were Voldemort and his guests, since there were still four vacant seats.

Everyone stood up and went down on one knee, spare a few among who was Julian.

He smiled as he sensed who had entered the room but quickly disguised it.

Voldemort walked to the stage, while Evan and his father stopped next to Julian. The Princeps nodded to the young wizard before taking his seat beside Voldemort.

Evan clasped his hand. "Good to see you Jul. I trust you are well."

"I'm fine, though be careful with the arm, Salya might not appreciate it."

Evan immediately let go of his hand. "You took that thing!"

Julian raised an eyebrow.

"She's on my left arm, Evan. How is it going for you?"

Evan smirked.

"I must say being High Prince has a few perks even if it means more responsibilities. The face of Thanin alone is reward enough."

Julian rolled his eyes.

"Your life's ambition, annoy your brother to his death."

Evan just smirked.

"I think you should join your father," said Julian.

"You're coming with us, Jul. The Dark Lord agreed to it and I want someone to talk to. Furthermore, we have many things to discuss."

The last part was said in the language Nightshades taught to its students, guarding its translation jealously.

Julian glanced to the Dark Lord who nodded.

"Very well, you know what this will provoke, don't you?"

Evan shot him a wry smile.

"Why do you think I requested it?"

The dinner passed quickly, though many eyes strayed to the High table and the two younger figures who talked quietly together using a language nobody understood.

Once the dinner was over they stood up after bidding the Princeps and Voldemort good evening. Still talking quietly they made their way for the doors.

However they did not reach them as a curse grazed Julian's cheek.

Whirling on his heels, he faced a flushing young man.

"How dare you disrespect our lord like this! You do not deserve to stand by him!"

"Fanatics… They really are a pain," muttered Evan, still using Nightshades speak.

"I'm not going to contradict you on that point, but this one must be bordering on suicidal…," replied Julian.

Enraged at being ignored by this upstart that had caught his Lord's attention, the Death Eater raised his wand again and cast the Cruciatus. Julian wasn't keen on subjecting himself to that curse though.

"You're not fit to sit in this hall, you coward."

Julian raised an eyebrow.

"Is that a challenge, or are you wasting my time and your breath spewing pitiful insults? I have better things to do than listen to your drivel," he snapped, growing annoyed at the fool.

Red marred the cheek of the Death Eater.

"I, Thor Vaska, challenge you to a duel to the death."

Whispers ran through the room, while Julian's eyes iced over.

"You are conscious of what you are doing and asking for?"

Thor sneered at him.

"I've nothing to fear from you, I'm one of my Lord's soldiers."

Julian sneered.

"Then you are a blind fool. I, Julian Richards accept your challenge. Name your time and terms."

"Now and a No-Rules duel."

Julian turned to Evan. "Raise a ward; I won't have accidental damage because of this fool."

Evan smirked.

"No problem; don't play too long, we have to leave early tonight."

"Don't worry. I won't waste time and energy with such an idiot."

Evan spread his hands and a shield started to appear around the two, the Death Eaters gathering in a circle to witness the duel.

Julian bowed his head minutely before raising his wand.

What followed could only be described as an execution. Three minutes later, the Death Eaters gave Julian a wide berth as the two youths left, the body of Thor Vaska lying on the ground, eyes glazed, his body mangled beyond recognition, only the head left untouched.

"_Come Salya…"_

The black snake that had slithered away for the duration of the duel went back to her master. She and Sostris had originally been Black Mambas. But their first masters had experimented with them until the two snakes killed him and escaped. They had kept their original shape, though they had grown slightly bigger and had gained many new abilities that their former owner had gotten to experience.

"You alright, Jul?"

Julian slowed down and sighed.

"I'm fine, Evan; but let's get out of here."

Evan glanced at his watch. "We should go anyway; they must be waiting for us."

"Just let me change, your father knows we'll be leaving?"

Evan nodded as they reached Julian's rooms.

"Nice place."

"It makes up for the company."

Quickly Julian changed to a pair of black pants, a dark green shirt, and a black coat. Evan decided to forego the robes and borrowed a jacket from his friend.

Five minutes later, they had left Lazarin, Drifting to Sins.

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_Severus,_

_What a gem you found! _

_Your apprentice is settling well in the court. He still continues to intrigue me, Severus, and don't think that I'm unaware of the secrets you are keeping about your apprentice. I find amusement in unraveling them by myself._

_Nightshades certainly shaped him well and I relish the idea of refining his skill. He will be one of my jewels, Severus. _

_Already the court is wary of him and he won't be challenged again. His duel with Thor Vaska and his quick but_ _so entertaining kill earned him the fear of most of the court, much like you did in your younger years, Severus. Do you remember those days, My Dark Prince?_

_Along with this letter, I've sent some pensieve strands of events that occurred during the past days and samples from the potions your Apprentice brewed, courtesy of Devlin. _

_Your_ _Lord_

_P.S: I will test his Slytherin heritage soon. Should he be of my blood, then new paths might open and I won't have others claiming him. I think you understand my meaning, Severus._


	6. Interactions

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you'll recognize.

A/N: I won't try to find an excuse for the time it takes me to update, because I don't think you'll all that interested in it any way. Just accept my apologies for the wait, I can't really say when I'll be able to update next. It'll depend on hospital and university schedules.

This chapter is not completed edited, but I would like to thank my betas for their work. Thanks a lot!

I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.

Naia

**Chapter 6: Interactions**

_In the last chapter:_

_Evan glanced at his watch. "We should go anyway; they must be waiting for us."_

"_Just let me change; your father knows we'll be leaving?"_

_Evan nodded as they reached Julian's rooms. "Nice place."_

"_It makes up for the company."_

_Quickly Julian changed into a pair of black pants, a dark green shirt, and a black coat. Evan decided to forego the robes and borrowed a jacket from his friend. _

_Five minutes later, they had left Lazarin, Drifting to Sins._

.--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--.

They appeared in a dim street and quickly walked to the club's entrance. Bypassing the long file of people waiting to be admitted inside, they headed straight for the doors. Both were amused by the angry looks shot their way as well as the lustful ones.

The bouncer nodded to them, opening the door to let them in.

They spared a look at the dance floor full of scantily clothed people then they headed for their private booth. Apparently tonight was Triple S night: Seduction, Sex, and Sin.

Julian dodged a few people hurrying for the closest hard surface they could find. He nearly tripped on a thong lying on the floor and only Evan prevented him from falling straight on a party of four people. He raised an eyebrow upon seeing their positions. He hadn't thought it was physically possible to bend that way.

Evan winced. "That must hurt."

Julian shrugged. "Doesn't look like it."

They resumed walking and reached their booth. Entering it, they noticed that Kal and Reana were already there.

"Finally!" snapped the platinum haired vampire. "I was about to go find some entertainment since it looked like you were not coming."

"We had to take care of a little… problem before leaving."

Evan rolled his eyes. "Some Death Eater thought it smart to defy Julian here to a Death Duel…"

Reana chuckled. "How long?"

"Three minutes."

She shook her head. "You're slipping, Julian darling. I would have thought you able to deal with pest like this in less than a minute. Are you going soft?"

Julian snorted. "I just had to make sure all the others got how bad of an idea it was to ever try something like this again."

Evan laughed. "I think they got your point."

Kal flicked his hand. "Alright you had your fun, now can we get this over with, I spotted a few delicious dolls to play with."

Julian nodded. "You all have your rings?"

They all nodded.

"Well, you all know what to do then."

That said, they left the booth and went to the dance floor, joining the mass of bodies. After a few moments, they found a willing body and after some grinding had them panting for more. The vampire allure exuding from Julian's three friends might have played a large part in it. Julian on his part and been taught a few tricks by a Veela he had met at school and knew how to reduce both sexes like putty in his hands when it suited his purposes.

They all left for the private rooms upstairs going for a pleasurable night for all who might watch. They entered the same room and wouldn't be seen leaving.

Should someone enter the room, they would find three women and a man pleasuring each other. None of them would have any recollection of the three vampires and the wizard that had drawn them there.

The four friends reappeared on a cliff as the sun was starting nearing the horizon. The salty smell of the ocean hit their noses. Mist was starting to rise up as the temperature was cooling down.

Julian inhaled deeply, rejoicing in the feeling on the fresh clear air.

"Enjoying yourself, Julian?"

He turned to smile at a tall and slim woman standing behind all of them.

"I am, Ilana."

The Dark Elf smiled gently. "Come now, your friends are all here and we have a lot to discuss tonight."

They followed her to a circular rock and relaxed as they felt themselves gently falling in the cliff as the ground disappeared under their feet. They stopped and stepped into a well lit tunnel, following Ilana as she led them to their meeting room.

They entered it and saw that all their friends were sitting around a large table.

Others were also present: two Goblins a bit taller than those wizards were used to seeing in the bank and well dressed in brown and gold robes.

Julian eyed them appraisingly. He had sent his request for this meeting through the Gringott's manager and had never met high-ranked Goblins before.

They had brown skin, a wrinkled angular face, small golden eyes that shone with cunning and cleverness. One of them was slightly more muscled and sporting many scars, the gold cylinder earring in his right ear showing his status. They were talking quietly among each other, their raspy voices quite a sore for sensitive ears, sometimes showing yellowish sharp teeth.

Two Mermen were floating in a large bubble of water, their scales glinting in the light of the torches. They had grayish skin with long dark blue hair. Mercury eyes peered at those present, occasionally breaking to a smile displaying glittering shark like teeth. Instead of the silverfish like tail of their lake counterparts, they possessed a dolphin-like tail. Thin ropes holding shells were tied to their neck. The smaller merman was carrying a bag on his shoulder. The taller of the two had a type of crown placed on his head made of five coral spikes while his smaller companion only had three. Both of them were sporting quite a few scars on their bodies, testimony to the numerous fights against the creatures inhabiting the ocean. (

Julian nodded to them before sitting between Ilana and Evan.

"Thank you all for coming." He turned to Ilana "You said you had things to discuss with us?" he asked, motioning to him and his friends.

Ilana smirked. "Indeed, Sorcerer, but I think Domin Rartak and his son Ka-Domin Hartjen should be the one to show you what we found."

The taller Merman gave the elf a smile. All those present waved their wands, focus or other magical tool and created a small water interface against their ears.

A high pitched sound echoed in the room but thanks to the water, they all understood what was being said. "Greetings Sorcerer, as per our agreement, we had our subjects roaming our territory looking for the lost city you were seeking. A team reported to us yesterday, saying they had found ruins that might be what you seek."

With a wave of his webbed hand, a small bubble parted from the one surrounding him. It grew quickly and the picture of ruins appeared inside it. As with a camera, the picture expanded to cover the whole area.

"Stop here please," suddenly said Reana. The picture froze. She turned to the Domin. "Could you enlarge this, Domin?"

"Easily, Seer." A tall column came into view.

Reana peered intently at it before nodding at Julian.

"This is it, Julian. This is the place I Saw."

Julian smiled. "This is the place we were seeking, Domin. Where is it situated?"

The Domin smirked. "It is situated on the northern edge of my territory, close to a rift that occasionally spits fire in the water. We rarely go there. The water is not good and there are magics at work there that my people do not like."

Julian nodded. "Then I would like to try to come to an agreement with you for the use of this area."

The Domin smiled once more.

"I talked with my brothers already and we have agreed to give you what you seek. Consider it our part in your scheme, Sorcerer. °°

Julian raised an eyebrow. "And what will be your price, Domin?"

This time it was the Ka-Domin that answered his voice or whatever it was that they heard slightly deeper than the one of his leader.

"This area was not meant to go underwater. It was the foolishness of Man that brought it in our territory. Its presence has disrupted the flows of power in that place. We are just bringing back the Old balance. Our price will be paid in knowledge. For this land we ask that you teach us how to erect wards that will protect our towns without requiring sacrifices from merpeople."

Julian thought on this deal.

Merpeople magic was not that varied and powerful. They mostly relied on Raw and Water Magic, some Blood Magic as well as a bit of Mind Magic, which added to their strength and their Cry. They kept to themselves and as such knew little of Spellcraft. Julian pondered on their request. It should be relatively easy to teach them several Rune wards if they were able to learn this kind of magic. If it came to worse, he would pass an agreement to have people ward their town.

He shot a look at Xavier who nodded slowly.

"Very well, Domin, I agree to your terms. Our people will start working on this land and some will teach those you chose how to erect the kind of wards you need. It will then be up to you to spread this knowledge."

The Ka-Domin took out a roll of something looking like parchment.

"To seal this agreement, we will require a drop of blood from you and your circle, Sorcerer."

The parchment floated in a small bubble to Julian's hand and fell in it as the bubble popped. He slowly scanned through it, looking for loopholes or some kind of hidden meaning. Finding none, he pricked his forefinger and let a drop of blood fall on the last line before passing it to Evan. A few minutes later, the parchment returned to Hartjen who placed it back in his bag.

Julian then turned to the Goblins.

"Greetings to you, Masters Goblin."

The two wrinkled creatures nodded and answered in kind. "Greetings."

"So will the Goblin Nation help us on this endeavor, Chieftain Ragnarok?" Julian asked, not wasting time in useless pleasantry, knowing that time was money to Goblins.

"I believe that an agreement can be drawn between us, Sorcerer."

And for the rest of the night, Julian, helped by his friends went over what they wanted done and bargained the Goblin's help.

Finally, he looked up from the paper he was holding. "I believe this will do; I will contact you to schedule a new meeting to go more in depth but this agreement is sufficient for now."

Ragnarok read over the parchment they had drawn as Evan continued.

"We will wait for the first shipment to transfer the funds. Master Baldreg, we will require your presence at the next meeting along with your team to go over our plans."

"And what skills will you require of us?"

Evan smirked and nodded to Auguste. With a few muttered words the young vampire made wisp of black mist seep from the shadow to form a black sphere in the middle of the table. Slowly the sphere grew and then shifted, leaving a clear view of a building.

This would be his Lair. His secret sanctum. Julian eyed the construction proudly.

Like all Sorcerers before him he was required to create his own Lair for himself and his Inner Circle. Karal had build and integrated his to Nightshades as he chose take over the Headmaster's mantel as his Sorcerer's task.

Sorcerers had disappeared from the world's face centuries ago as wizards had started to fear them and sought to bind or destroy them. Most of the knowledge about them dated back to the Middle-Ages and had become legends and children fairytales. The books holding true facts about them had been destroyed or deemed forbidden.

Hidden from the wizards and Muggles, the Sorcerers lived and prepared for the day when they would be ready to become known again. They created a council that would gather every year and keep track of their progresses as well as look out for future Sorcerers.

Julian had been brought once before this council when he passed the Apprentice test to achieve Novice status. He never wanted to be brought to them to be judged, no if did not have the right backing.

The Goblins eyes widened a little before he regained his composure.

"I have an idea of what you might need, Illusionist."

"Good," cut Julian. "Is there anything else we need to discuss?"

Silence answered him.

"Then I will contact you again for another meeting. May the Gods grant you wealth." He nodded to the two Goblins.

"May you never run out of gold and enemies."

Julian smirked and then nodded to the two Mermen.

"May the Waters protect you and your people."

The Mermen returned his salute and left, followed by the Goblins. Once he was sure they were out of earshot, Julian slumped in his chair.

"Whose idea was it to bargain with Goblins?!"

Evan exchanged a smirk with the others.

"Sorry to say it, Julian, but it was yours."

Violaine looked at him. "We will need them and you know it."

Julian rolled his eyes. "I know, but I'm sure it would be easier to draw blood from a stone than got those little gold-addict to give up some of their money." He sighed then turned to Ilana. "Thank you for arranging this, Ilana."

The Dark Elf shook her head. "Think of it as mutual help. You are not the only one looking forwards the rise of Ynris."

Julian nodded and stood, popping some vertebras back in place as he did so.

"Well, enough for tonight."

They all left slowly, discussing the meeting.

Evan fell next to Julian who was quietly discussing with Kal.

"… So you can send it quickly then? I want to get this over as soon as possible…"

Kal nodded. "You'll get them tomorrow, can't exactly say when though, I still have one more test to run to make sure everything is alright with it."

Julian smiled. "Good."

"Everything fine, Julian?"

"No problem, Evan, just some paperwork. By the way, are you staying at Lazarin or are you going back to your castle?"

"I'm staying. Father and I have a meeting tomorrow with Voldemort regarding our alliance. The details need to be worked out, particularly this idea of his to wipe out our food source…"

Julian chuckled. "Have fun."

Evan scowled. "What are you going to do, then, brew burn balm?"

Julian waved his hand. "I finished the orders yesterday. If no more came during the night, then I'll have my day to train or work on my thesis… I'll probably spend it training. Can you stop by my rooms before leaving, I'd like you to finish your work. He won't wait much longer."

Evan nodded. "No problem. When is our next meeting?"

"Well, Thynan, Moreen, Xavier and I are meeting with the Elementals next week for the dome. Kal and I are going to meet with Marshbank to see about some mysteriously lost papers…" He paused, thinking ahead. "Reana and Violaine are meeting with Corina in a few days. And Selene told me she had managed to get a meeting with Shauna McLyain through her mother's second cousin and Desmona."

Evan raised an eyebrow. "Impressive… So things are progressing nicely I take."

"For now. I think we'll probably meet in a week and a half."

"That should be alright with me. Speaking of dates, have you received the invitation to the inauguration of Rigel's theater this week end?"

"Yes. I just need to find someone to accompany me." He paused and turned to his friends. "Speaking of which, Oreale, do you have an escort?"

The red-head smiled, amber eyes glittering with amusement. "I will, though I would have preferred a more traditional demand, Julian."

They bantered light-heartedly as they reached their transportation point. Exchanging goodbyes they all disappeared back to where they had come from. Kal, Reana, Evan and Julian all reappeared at Sins and Kal quickly wandered off to find some willing girl for the night.

Reana kissed Evan and Julian good bye before Drifting back to her manor.

"Do you want to stay for a while or go back?"

"Let's go back, I need some sleep, as opposed to you."

They left the club, nodding to the bouncer then drifting back to Julian's room in Lazarin.

Julian stretched. "Well, let's call this a night… By the way did you get your shipment? I sent it last week."

Evan nodded. "Yes, your payment was sent to your vault as usual."

"Good. You'll rest for the day?"

"Yes, my father thought it better to hold our talk at dusk. Your potions are efficient but it's not exactly the same plus it puts Voldemort at a disadvantage."

"If you need me, I'll either be in my room, the Basilisk suite or the high security labs."

"Alright. I'll see you then. Refrain from eating anything animal related today and clean yourself as thoroughly as possible."

Julian nodded. "I will do so. Anything you will need?"

Evan shook his head. "No I have everything be required."

The young man yawned. "Good."

"Tired, Julian?" teased Evan.

"Get out, you bloody insomniac."

"Next thing, you're going to stick out your tongue."

Evan barely ducked a jinx that went straight to the wall behind him.

"Temper, Jul, what would Tristan say."

"He would have already spelled you mute, now get out."

Knowing better than to push his friend too far, Evan exited the room with a smile. He went to the wing that had been assigned to his Father and him as well as their escorts.

Five hours later, Julian rose from his bed, sending his alarm clock flying to the wall. Dressing up, he went to the Hall to grab something to eat then made his way to the Labs. Looking at his black board, he saw a new order for basic healing draughts had come in during the night.

Cursing, he took it and started to go through the various potions. All in all it would take him four hours at most if he used some shortcuts. Reading the name of the compound which sent it, a vicious smile made its way to his face.

He was going to make sure they learnt their lesson this time.

Setting up his work table, he nodded to Devlin as the man entered and settled next to him.

Starting on the Persenia Healing draught, he quickly prepared his ingredients before starting on the brewing. At some points he tweaked the recipe a little. Forty minutes later, the Draught was finished and just needed to settle down. Taking off the flame under the cauldron, he shielded the area, then started on another potion, this time a variant of the Skelegrow.

Devlin watched him with interest as he went through his own potions.

Around noon, Julian was done with all the orders and cleaned all the worktables, starting to bottle the Persenia.

"Those were interesting modifications you made, Apprentice."

Julian nodded. "Thank you."

"What was their purpose if I may ask?"

Julian smirked.

"They just alter the taste; worsen it to be more precise… I want to make sure that the Ananda compound will think twice before forwarding all their potions' orders to me."

"What make you say this?"

"Ananda has two resident masters. Each of them took two apprentices two years ago. Those potions should have been dealt by them. But I'm ready to bet their Masters want them to refine their thesis since they learnt my Master took on an apprentice."

Devlin frowned.

"Yes, Dieter and Hamsfeld are both there… And they don't hold Snape in their heart…" He paused. "I'll bring this to the Lord, he'll set them straight."

"Thank you Devlin,"

"Send those potions, you have your afternoon free."

"Thank you Devlin."

He took off his brewing gear and made his way to Hall for lunch. He had to smirk as people gave him a wide berth. Sitting at his usual table, he tapped the table with his wand making his meal appear. Disregarding the meat, he only ate the vegetables, the bread and dessert, all the while reading his journal and writing some new ideas or possibilities. Looking around, he noticed that the hall had filled but that the seats around him had remained empty.

He rolled his eyes. _Fools._

Emptying his glass, he closed his journal and stood up, leaving the room and heading straight for his rooms. Halloween was approaching fast and he didn't want to fall behind his studies.

He spent the afternoon locked in his room, practicing and reading through the Sorcerers' diaries. Early in the evening he went to the high security labs to work a little on several separate reactions he wanted to test.

He was observing the effect of mixing griffin tears and phoenix ashes. He had kept the same quantity of Gryffin tears and had changed the quantity of ashes.

Both ingredients were from light creatures, so the mixing was made easier and allowed him not to have to use a tamper.

"In cauldron number three we can see that at a ratio of 3 to 1, the ashes react by ensnaring the tears in a bubble. A superior ration mutates both components and starts an in-chain reaction leading to an explosive reaction. An inferior ration provokes no noticeable reaction."

He paused.

"Now using that ratio, we will assess the reaction of the ashes on a sample of Veritasserum."

Silence was heard as he watched keenly the reaction.

"We can see that the ashes manage to encapsulate the tears but that their effects are slowed down. My hypothesis is that the grounded scale of a Syszt may interfere with the ashes and agglomerate part of it."

He filtered the solution.

"After filtering the solution I find a conglomerate of a dark red color with speck of black."

He put three drops from a nearby beaker and two from another.

"After testing with flobberworm saliva which turns Syszt's scale green and Acromantula venom which provokes the emission of gas when touching phoenix tears, I can affirm that the conglomerate is composed of the ashes and the scales. However it was noted during previous experiment that the Syszt scales are counter acted by the Momina moss. So I can safely make the hypothesis that the conglomeration will be minimal"

"Now I will test the addition of the ashes to the solution I am working on."

He took a small gold cauldron which contained his solution and put the quantity of ashes needed.

"As it is to be expected, the ashes do not mix with the solution, I will attempt to trigger the interaction by adding a drop of unicorn's blood willingly given. Given the volatility of this ingredient, wards will be raised around the cauldron."

Carefully placing his journal away, he placed the cauldron on an isolated worktable. Then he put up his strongest shield and tightened the ward around the area. Checking that his goggles were in place as well as his apron, he put on some ear plugs. Then he dropped the silvery drop and watched as the solution sizzled and starting simmering.

"We observe a sizzling of the solution followed by an intense simmering. To stop this process which is detrimental to the Hungarian Horntail blood, I will use Antimoine's draught, one drop only."

He had barely added the drop that instead of dieing down the simmering increased before stopping brutally.

"After an increase in the simmering which will have to be researched, all reaction seemed to hav- "

He didn't have time as an explosion occurred, blasting him against his ward, knocking the breath out of him. A sharp pain shot in his shoulder.

The table holding the cauldron had been reduced to pieces. The cauldron had melted to a gold puddle. Splashes of dark green liquid adorned the floor, the ward having prevented it from hitting the whole room.

Julian was getting back to his feet and taking out his earplugs, wincing as his shoulder protested, when slow applause broke in the room.

"Impressive, Julian, I can't remember you getting such an explosion since you tried mixing Salamander blood with Kelpie's blood."

"Not a word, Evan. Make yourself useful and help me put my shoulder back," grumbled the young man.

The vampire approached him and in a few seconds and with a few curses they had popped his shoulder back in its socket.

"So what were you trying to do, this time?"

"Too complicated to explain… just know that you never use Antimoine draught with Unicorn blood. I'll try a salamander base stabilizer next time…"

Evan rolled his eyes.

"I don't get a word of what you're talking about, but I'll believe you. Potion was not my strong suit anyway."

"Hence forth why I managed to get quite a lot of people with only a few drops in their drinks or food…"

"The good old days… I have to admit that seeing an ugly Veela or a werewolf turned into a part cat was entertaining."

"See," answered Julian cleaning the room as he talked.

Ten minutes later he was done and both headed for his rooms.

Once there, Julian raised his wards to make sure they wouldn't be interrupted.

"Alright, Evan, what do I need to do?"

Evan took out a pouch from his pocket and enlarged it, using his focus.

"Before we start, what do you want exactly? You know that Blood magic doesn't allow room for mistakes or misunderstanding."

"I need to make sure my blood or any other body part can't be used to trace my Lineage."

"But you want to be able to use them for other things."

Julian nodded.

"Do you have a lineage book made, because this ritual can't be undone."

"Yes, it is hidden in Master Karal's high security vault."

"Good, then, it will relatively easy…"

He took an athame made with bones; an eagle skull topped the handle which was covered with various runes. This was a Blood mage tool, and only those sworn into that guild had the right to possess one of those.

"Do you have a ritual circle here?"

Julian nodded and led him next door, deactivating his wards for a split second to allow him inside.

Evan looked around and whistled admiringly.

"Impressive…"

They both walked to the circle drawn on the ground.

"Good, I only have to make a few additions and it'll be alright." He looked at Julian. "Just enter it and stand in the middle for now."

After a few minutes of drawing chalk symbols around, Evan looked up.

"Done. Now take off your shirt and do not move or speak."

As Julian obeyed, he went to his bag and put on some crimson and rust robes that seemed to have been dripped in blood and the young man suspected they had.

Chanting lowly, though all that Juliana heard was a nearly inaudible mumbling, Evan started his work. Slashing Julian's palm, he drew symbols on his skin. Then he carved a few others. Seemingly satisfied, he slashed his own palm and let a drop of blood fall on each drawing, each carving, his mumblings increasing in intensity.

Finally he spoke two harsh words that Julian knew stood for mote it be. There was a crack and the young sorcerer felt his blood heat for a split second before everything went back to normal.

"It's done."

Julian nodded, calling his wand to him, one of the wandless and wordless spells he now managed to perform after some mind numbing training.

Then he healed the cuts on his body, leaving only faint lines that would disappear after he used a balm he had come up with. Meanwhile, Evan had put everything back to his bag.

They went back to the living room and the young vampire slouched on the couch.

"Ready for tonight's meeting?"

"Yes, though I'd prefer to go hunting."

"Feel free to drain Ivan Kolskov if you see him…"

"Do I sense a grudge, here?"

Julian shrugged, a vengeful glint in his eyes.

"Accident happens so quickly when you're tinkering with volatile ingredients."

Evan looked at the calendar on the wall. Today was the 6th of October so that left little less than four weeks until the gathering.

Julian caught his glance.

"You don't want to tell me what is going to happen, won't you?"

Evan chuckled. Since Julian had graduated two years ahead he hadn't been allowed to go to the gathering last year, not having come of age.

"I wouldn't even if I could. You received your invitation, didn't you?"

"I did," shooting a look at his watch he noticed that it was dinner time. "I assume you'll eat in the Hall."

"Yes, I told my Father I would meet him there."

"Let's go then."

The two friends headed for the Hall, on his way, Julian tightened his Occlumency and Dissolvency shields, making sure he wasn't leaving any leaks in them.

Their arrival didn't go unnoticed but they didn't acknowledge it. Evan walked to the Head table to take the seat on his Father's right. Julian went to sit next to Devlin who smirked as people scooted away from him.

"Well boy, at least your presence means I won't be bothered by idiots."

"Glad to be of service."

"I heard you created quite an explosion…"

Both men started to get engrossed in Potions talk as they ate. Julian nodded to Evan as the vampire left with his father to meet Voldemort who had not come to eat in the Hall.

The young man finished his apple then made his walk back to his room, intent on practicing some more for a few more hours.

When he finally went to bed, he was feeling quiet drained. Though someone observing him during his training might think him sleeping, the concentration and focus needed to wield magic without a focus was exhausting. It would get easier when his mind and body would get used to it

After checking his wards, he went to sleep.

The next day passed quietly. He was left alone save Devlin, something which suited him just fine. He spent his early morning in his room working on his inner focus and magic awareness then he went to the lab to brew the two batches of potions ordered. He noticed with pleasure that no order had come from Ananda today. He then went to the high security labs and wasn't seen till dinner.

He ate quickly then went to write several letters, one of which he joined with a package filled with several test tubes of the different potions he had brewed.

As none of the content of those letters was sensitive knowledge, he went to the owlery to send them. Calling six owls to him, he securely tied all his letters and chose the biggest one to carry the package even though he had placed a weightless charm on it.

He watched as the six of them took flight and disappeared. He sensed more than heard someone enter the room. His training was starting to pay off as he was able to recognize the magic signature of the wizard behind him. It helped that this Death Eater was among the more powerful and had such a distinctive magical identity.

Tightening his cloak, he spoke quietly.

"Good evening, Mr. Malfoy." He turned on his heel and headed for the door.

"Good evening to you, M. Richards," nodded Malfoy, his eyes sizing him up. "We didn't see much of you today."

Julian shrugged. "My master made sure I would not be lacking work."

Lucius let out a dry chuckle.

"That sounds like Severus indeed. I can only deplore the fact that my son does not show the same dedication to his studies."

Julian repressed a small smile. "My master does not tolerate procrastination and can find quite the incentives."

"So true, so true, I can remember him when he was still teaching at Hogwarts."

If anything, Julian was glad to have been spared his master's teaching. The man had absolutely no patience.

He nodded to Mr. Malfoy. "Master Snape has high expectations."

"But you managed to reach them it seems."

"I try my best," wanting nothing more than to leave, Julian nodded to the man. "Good night Mr. Malfoy."

"Mr. Richards, before you leave, I wish to know if you would be interested in attending the Inauguration of the new theater in London in two days. One of my son's friends doesn't have an escort and I thought you might be interested."

Julian turned to look at the blond man. "It is very thoughtful of you, M. Malfoy, but I have already received an invitation from Rigel Aldebaran. We will see each other then. I was told that it would be a performance to be remembered."

Just to see the haughty man lose his composure for a split second, Julian decided that it had been worth unveiling this information.

"We will meet there then, M. Richards," muttered Lucius, watching the young man walk away.

Julian walked back to his rooms. Entering, he quickly changed to a more comfortable outfit. Noticing an envelope on his pillow, he broke the seal carrying Evan's mark.

_Julian, _

_My father and I had to leave earlier than I thought we would, some matters to deal with the clans. _

_I will see you at Rigel's grand opening. We will arrive at 9 pm. Headmaster Karal and most of our teachers will be there. Your payment for the last shipment was sent to your vaults, my father would like to meet you next week regarding several matters, nothing grave, I assure you._

_Our talk with the Dark Lord was conclusive on some issues though we have come to a dead-end on others. There probably will be other discussions, though these particular issues might be difficult to solve as none of us are willing to compromise for now._

_By the way you have your little zoo well trained. I had barely set a foot in your room that I was bound and about to be bitten… Not to mention your owl… she really can hold a grudge._

_See you soon,_

_Evan_

Julian shook his head and went to pet his owl that was resting on her perch. "You showed, Evan didn't you girl?"

She opened one of her amber eyes as if to say "Who me?"

With a last pat to her head, he went to his bathroom before taking a book and settling into bed, his snakes slithering up on the bed and nesting around him. He had gotten used to the cold feeling of their bodies during his stay at Nightshades. They had guarded his sleep and protected him.

He closed his book around midnight and went to sleep.

The next two days passed quickly in a relatively peaceful way for the young Apprentice. Voldemort was busy with several attacks he had launched to flush the remaining pockets of resistance out. If Hogsmeade was close to being overtaken, Hogwarts still stood strong as well as the underground resistance which was starting to organize itself if the letters he had received where any indication.

He spent his days between his rooms and the labs. His master had written back to him about his brews.

Julian had smiled at the thought of the letter whose tone alternated between scathing, approbating and sarcastic. In the end he got a new list of potions as well as comments on his experiments and his reasoning as well as several titles of books to consult.

On the evening of the 9th, he quickly went to dinner, noticing that quite a lot of Death Eaters were absent as well as two members of the Inner Circle and the Dark Lord. That might explain the relative calm on the compound. Dismissing the thought, he went back to his room and changed in appropriate formal wear.

Smart black pants and crisp tailored white shirt and an impeccably cut black formal vest that was inspired from Muggle tuxedos. Shining black dress shoes, platinum and emerald cufflinks as well as hairclip completed his outfit along with his cloak and Nightshades clasp.

Checking his appearance, he went to take a silver strand with sky blue markings and tied it around his neck with an intricate tie. Slipping it under his collar, he made sure that the tie and the two free strands fell in front of his shirt. Any people with knowledge of the old ways would understand its meaning.

That done, he headed out of the compound. He went through the identity check with annoyance and disapparated as soon as he reached the apparition point.

He reappeared in a dimly lit street and immediately headed for the new theater built close to Diagon Alley. The building had been hidden under the appearance of a Muggle business tower. Julian had to admit that Rigel had done a fantastic job.

The base was stadium like with six spires going up, three tall dark ones two hundred meters high, alternating with three pale smaller ones a hundred and fifty meters high. Balconies had been placed all the way up the spires, spare for the last ten meters. Three magical rays were shooting from the top of the three tallest spires and held a huge sparkling ball illuminating the whole area. Three other rays were coming from the other spires and supported the heptagonal stage.

As he passed the wards hiding the theater from muggle view, he heard the deep rumble of hundreds of people talking at the same time. A red carpet led up the stairs to the entrance and camera flashes were flashing continuously as journalists watched people entering.

The theater fell under the protection of the Oath that had been sworn hundreds of years ago as the wizarding world came close to dieing out after a war between the Dark and Light side. All surviving protagonists had gathered on neutral grounds at the invitation of High Elves and after days of heated talk had come to an agreement. Several areas were deemed neutral and all sides took an oath that no magic with the intent to cause severe harm to another or kill would be able to be performed. This way, should a new war occur, families would be protected by being sent to those places.

The founders had thought that Hogwarts' grounds were one of those places, but had been mistaken as the years had shown when students were able to freely hex each others. By the time they realized their mistake, it was too late and they were unable to finance the moving of the school.

However Rigel had spent quite a lot of his free time at Nightshades to look for traces of the neutral areas and had made sure he would not be mistaken in the same way. That was why preeminent figures of both sides were gathered on this night.

Shaking his head, he made his way up the stairs, snorting as no flashes went out and entered the building. The entrance hall was vast and gave a cathedral-like feeling with the high arches and columns.

People were milling around, conversing with acquaintances. Looking at his watch, Julian saw that it was a little after 9 pm. and so looked for his friends. He heard a commotion on his right and smirked as he saw the Vampire clans' leaders and their families as well as the royal family had arrived.

Evan was standing by his Father's right, his mother on his left and his siblings behind them. They paused in the entrance for effect then stepped inside and parted ways.

Julian went to greet his friend and his family, ignoring the death glares Evan's brothers sent his way. Thanin and Clarence hadn't taken their Father's choice well, not that Evan's attitude helped any. His sister, Lorya seemed to think the situation hilarious, but from their few meetings, Julian could see that the Vampire Princess was still young and didn't take things seriously most of the time. She had yet to enter Nightshades, and he was sure the school would shed her of her more childlike attitudes quickly. She would then be a force to be reckoned with as was her mother Syanise. That was a woman that Julian respected and was wary of.

He bowed to the Princeps and his sons and kissed Syanise and Lorya's hand.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Princeps, Lamia."

"A pleasure shared, Novice Richards," replied Syanise. "You haven't visited for quite a long time."

"I apologize. I should visit soon since your son informed me you wanted to discuss some matters, Princeps." He said, turning to look at Evan's father.

The Vampire nodded. "Indeed, would Wednesday evening be agreeable? I would send one of my men for you."

Julian nodded. "It will be fine with me."

"Very good, well, we'll leave you youngsters to your devices then."

With a few more parting words, they left to meet other races' leaders.

Evan and Julian looked around and finally spotted some of their friends and their escorts standing by a door. They joined them and waited for the others to arrive.

When Moreen and Arthen finally got there, they made their way to one of the staff. Giving their invites, they were showed to a stunningly dressed Veela that led them to a small platform. Typing on a small keyboard, she then directed the platform up to the spire facing the stage and stopped it next to a balcony that must be one of the best ones available. They waited for the show to start. As the light went off, silence fell on the stage.

A young man appeared on a podium. He was tall and thin with pale skin, blue eyes and dark hair. Many women swooned at the charm he exuded. Julian smirked. Rigel had taken the best of his dual heritage, the beauty and allure of his Veela mother, the dark colorings and powers of his Vampire father. He had been a force to be reckoned with at school.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming tonight for the Inauguration of the Pleiade. I hope you will enjoy this night. However I would like to first thank those that allowed this project to become a reality. First, I must thank the committee and all those that participated to the financing of this theater. Without their support nothing would have been built." He read off a series of names, among them the Malfoys.

"Then, my deepest thanks to the architect Jean Claude Menart and his team for making something of my plans. My gratitude to Isabelle Delacour and her design and decorating team. Thank you to Gerarht Hensfeld and his team for the lights and sounds. Thank you to Julian Richards and his team for the magical powering and warding of the theater. Thank you to Princeps Thoran for his invaluable help. Thank you to Lawrence Valenti and his staff supervising the activity of this theater."

He paused.

"Finally, thank you to all the people who worked hard to build this place. Now, let the show begin!"

With a puff of smoke he disappeared and music started to fill the area. Julian let himself be swept away by the show, enjoying the performance of the elite of the artists of this time.

The show ended with a breathtaking pyrotechnic demonstration involving all the artists who had performed during the night. Julian, for once silenced by admiration, watched as Illusionists created shapes, colors and creatures that engaged in an aerial ballet, joining the acrobats, the wind riders and the creature tamers. The animals and people moved together in tune with the music and the entrancing voice of Andrea Vicentti, the current prima at Italian Opera. Fireworks were exploding behind all of them, their colors and shapes manipulated by pyrotechnics to fit the whims of the artists.

Applause shook the building as the artists came to bow and were called back four times before disappearing in a twirl of smoke.

The lights came back, illuminating the area as people stood up and readied to leave. The Veela came back with her platform. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we hope you enjoyed the performance. Mr. Aldebaran is extending an invitation to the small reception he is hosting to celebrate the inauguration."

Julian took Oreale's arm and guided her to the platform. Once they had reached the grounds, the Veela led them to a vast reception rooms where people were already mingling, talking and drinking. They all took a cup of champagne from the trays carried by the waiters going round the room.

They were soon joined by their host. Rigel Aldebaran was as charismatic as Julian had remembered him to be.

Dressed in tailored clothes empathizing his assets and his eyes, his dark locks styled with efficiency, framing aristocratic features, he seemed to come out of a modeling magazine.

He was accompanied by Andrea Vicentti and the two of them made a striking picture: both of them had the same pale skin and dark hair and their clothes had been studied to compliment each other. Their eyes were the main difference. The Italian Diva was on Syren descent and had inherited the voice of her grandmother as well as the pupil-less eyes.

Julian nodded to Rigel and kissed her hand.

"Madame, your performance was a wonder," he said quietly.

She smiled at him. "Rigel spoke of you highly Mr. Richards," she answered melodiously. Julian reinforced his shields as he felt the siren qualities of her voice reach out to him. He shot an amused look at the dark-haired man.

"I will have to thank him then, Madame."

"You can call me Andrea," she said with a smile.

"Then I'll insist that you call me Julian."

Rigel laughed a little. "That's it, Julian, no flirting with my fiancée."

Julian and his friends shot him a surprised glance.

"Fiancée, Rigel? Something you forgot to tell us?"

"Andrea and I got engaged a few days ago." He looked at the woman with warm eyes.

"How did you get old Procyon to agree, last time I heard, you were still set to bond with Capella…" said Auguste, frowning.

Rigel smirked. "Never underestimate the power of a determined female Veela… My mother was quite happy to hear that Andrea here had felt compatible to my Veela half, something I could not say for Capella…"

Oreale snorted at that. "I sincerely doubt that air-head is compatible with anyone… but congratulations to you too."

She was echoed by the rest of the group.

"Thank you all, I'll see you on Samhain, won't I?"

Julian nodded. "Yes, I look forward to it."

"We all do," said Rigel, "last year was… a bit frustrating. Evan played his part right, but there was something missing… You aren't stepping down, are you?"

Julian turned cold eyes to him.

"Why, you wish to challenge me, Rigel?"

The dark haired man shook his head widely.

"No, no, I learnt better than that, Julian, didn't I?"

The young man agreed. "You were a worthy opponent."

Rigel smiled tightly, recognizing this as the compliment it was.

"Well, I'll go then, lots of people to see tonight. Thank your father for me, Evan, if I can't see him myself. His help with the Goblins was most valuable."

Evan nodded. "The results are worth it."

Rigel parted with a few words and both he and Andrea made their way to another group.

Looking around, Julian quickly spotted people he wanted to speak to.

"Sorry, I need to talk to Headmaster Karal."

They shooed him away, the girls getting engrossed in a commentary of the clothes and jewelry displayed around.

Navigating through the crowd, he quickly reached three people talking next to the buffet.

Karal was talking quietly with Zoar and Desmona.

Julian bowed deeply to the three of them.

"Good night, Julian. It is good to see you again," started Karal, his eyes sweeping over him, appraising.

"Good night to you, Headmaster."

"I must say Rigel's première was a success," stated Desmona.

Zoar smirked. "He always was one for theatrics."

"Indeed," acquiesced Karal, "he did the school proud nonetheless." He shot a look at Julian. "I heard your own project was progressing."

The young man nodded.

"It is, we are negotiating the next move."

Desmona smiled approvingly. "Excellent, Julian. That is good news indeed."

"And what of your training, young man?" snapped Zoar.

Julian smirked. "Rest assured Master Zoar that I have been practicing."

The Vampire raised an eyebrow. "Really, I will see it for myself on Samhain. You will have to uphold your rank then, Dux."

Karal held up his hand. "Peace, Zoar. You will be able to test young Julian in a few weeks. What of your novitiate?"

"It is progressing," Julian didn't elaborate.

Karal nodded. "We will talk more on the 31st - " He did not finish his sentenced. "I'm glad to hear that your Mastery is going well…"

Bewildered, Julian quickly caught up as he felt a familiar aura stop behind him.

"I will send Mistress Leto some of my notes."

A soft cough made him turn and he smiled tightly at the Malfoys.

"Lord Malfoy, Lady Malfoy, Draco." He nodded to the three of them.

"I'm so sorry to interrupt you, Mr. Richards," started the Malfoy patriarch, not looking sorry in the least, "but my wife wanted dearly to meet you."

Julian repressed a sigh and kissed Narcissa's hand as her husband introduced her and his son. He presented the three masters for politeness sake only, wishing the three were far away.

"Master Zoar, Mistress Desmona and Headmaster Karal whom I'm sure you have heard of."

"A pleasure, Headmaster. I'm sure you are quite proud of young Mr. Richards here."

Desmona smiled tightly.

"Julian was always a unique individual. We have been expecting a lot from him."

"He must have been a delight to teach."

Zoar shot a sardonic look at Julian. "I would say that Julian was one of a kind."

Julian repressed a smile. "Headmaster Karal, I unfortunately need to go. I will see you on the 31st?"

"Indeed, keep your self safe until then."

Julian smiled and turned to the Malfoys, bidding them a good night.

He went to warn his friends he was leaving when he was stopped on his way by a couple accompanied by an elderly man he immediately recognized. After all, his name was only number one on the Voldemort's hit list.

"Mr. Richards?"

Restraining himself from screaming and tightening his Occlumency and Dissolvency shields, he managed to keep a neutral face as he turned to face the one and only Albus Dumbledore.

"I do not believe we have met already."

"I do think so Mr. Dumbledore. And who might your companions be?"

The elder man smiled benignantly, eyes twinkling as he introduced the couple.

"Mr. Remus Lupin, our DADA teacher at Hogwarts and Miss Nymphadora Tonks, Auror."

Julian raised an eyebrow at the feeling he got from the two. A Werewolf and a Metamorphamagus.

"Forgive my boldness, sir," he said to Remus, "but from which pack are you part of?"

The man nearly choked on his champagne at the question before looking at him in puzzlement.

"H-How…" He shook his head, composing himself back together. "I was bitten by the Prime of the Bloodfang

pack when I was a child."

Julian smiled slightly. "So, you're the wayward prince they have been looking for for years… I must warn you that the fight for leadership is taking place in two days for your pack, in the Highlands if I remember well. But you must already know it. Fenrir might not be as lucky this time."

Remus' head shot up at the mention of Fenrir's name.

"What?!"

Julian just shook his head but Dumbledore cut him before he could speak.

"Well, it is quite interesting, Mr. Richards. I did not expect you to be here."

"Rigel and I were in the same year at school. We kept in touch and I couldn't refuse his invitation."

"Yes, yes, I understand, speaking of invitations, I wondered if you would be interested in joining us for our Halloween Feast. Many of my colleagues are quite interested in meeting the youth that was deemed worthy by Severus."

Julian bowed his head slightly.

"Thank you Headmaster, however I'm afraid I must decline. Like all my school peers, I will attend our school's annual gathering."

Dumbledore nodded, a benign smile on his face. "Of course, of course, I understand, my child."

Julian bristled a little at the child comment though he didn't let it show.

The old man continued.

"Then, I might tempt you with a visit to the school. For Severus to have taken you as an apprentice you must seek knowledge and our library is quite comprehensive…"

This was a far more tempting.

Julian smiled tightly. "I'm sorry I cannot answer you without getting my master to agree to it. As you must know, my coming and goings are not for me to decide."

Dumbledore just smiled. "I will write Severus to ask for his agreement, my child."

Julian nodded tersely, wishing he could see his master's face upon receiving such a request.

"If you will excuse me, Headmaster, but I need to leave now. I have quite a lot of work waiting for me."

"The hardship of an apprentice's life. Surely Severus would understand…"

Julian just raised an eyebrow in disbelief. He then felt a small tentative probe to his mind. Showing nothing, he pushed the tendril out of his mind.

"I might not be an expert of wizarding customs, sir, but I do not think invading one's mind without permission is common courtesy. I will advise you not to repeat it, sir."

Julian's eyes iced over as he spoke, the word 'sir' dripping with sarcasm as he did so.

"My child, I…"

"I am not one of your children, Headmaster. I have a name and I ask you to use it."

Dumbledore nodded tightly.

"Very well, Mr. Richards. My offer still stands."

"I will think about it should my master agree, good night to you, Headmaster, Mr. Lupin, Miss Tonks."

He nodded to the two men and kissed Tonks' hands before stalking back to his friends. After a few parting words, he went to find Rigel to bid him good bye.

He could feel eyes on him as he walked to the doors but he did not look back, after all he knew who they were.

(o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o)

Voldemort came back a week later, having been needed to set his troops straight.

Julian welcomed his return with mixed feelings. During the past week he had been able to go as he pleased and attend several meetings regarding his own project as well as visit Evan as he had promised Syanise.

With Voldemort back, he knew his moves would be carefully monitored, even more when the Dark Lord was going to learn that his little spies continuously lost him in Sins…

It was not his fault that he loved that club and that Veelas always seemed to spot Voldemort's men…

Must be the Dark Mark and the bad boy's thing going on…

He knew of the Dark Lords successes and failures. Even though he had made a breakthrough in the French Ministry, the Wizarding Senate still stood strong even after several attempts at assassinations of pre-eminent members as well as blackmail. Same thing for Germany…

Too bad.

On the other hand, the Eastern Europe was falling quickly behind him with the support of the Vampires.

So it was not a surprise when they were all told to attend dinner together.

It was also not that surprising that Theodore Nott came to fetch him from his room to "accompany him" to the main hall and told him he was expected to sit at the Head table. He was seated between Malfoy senior and Sletkaya.

He ate quietly, pouring his frustrations into dissecting his chicken into tiny pieces. Dessert came and went and people started to leave the room after Voldemort gave an inspired speech on his progress, carefully minimizing his set backs or omitting them.

The young Sorcerer had to give it to the man. He had a way with words.

And unsurprisingly he was asked to stay behind.

He remained seated as the hall emptied itself, perusing the new Potions magazine he had received that day.

Voldemort finally had enough of looking at him and spoke up.

"I heard you went out quite a few times while I was absent, Mr. Richards."

Julian nodded gracefully. "Yes, Lord."

"A bit surprising considering your work toll, apprentice. Is Severus aware of your… escapades?"

Julian refrained from rolling his eyes. "My master does not concern himself with my private life as long as my assignments are completed to his standards and that my studies progress."

Voldmort let out a sibilant chuckle.

"So true, young man… though I do not think he would approve of your choice of club."

This time, he did roll his eyes. "I do not have much company around here, Lord. Sins has always been a known meeting place among my peers."

Voldemort smirked. "I'm sure some of my men's children would be more than happy to provide some companionship to you. But I fear this might have to wait for a later time. I want you to meet me in my office in thirty minutes. A house-elf will come and show you where it is."

Julian nodded silently. "Yes, Lord Voldemort, can I be excused?"

Voldemort shot him a piercing glance.

"Yes, I expect you to be on time. I do not tolerate lateness."

Julian nodded before heading back to his room. Knowing he had little time left, he just hoped that Evan had done his part. He gracefully sat cross-legged on the floor and used his own mantra to fell in a meditative trance for twenty minutes.

Emerging from his trance feeling calmed and balanced, his magic at peace for now. He went to take off his robes and straightened his outfit, shooting a glance in the mirror as he did so.

He had gotten rid of the talking menace on his first day, after relocating all the portraits to a spare room. He preferred his mirrors to be silent. This particular one had been openly leering at him. Well leering as much as a mirror can.

Black pants and dark blue shirt. A bit classical but it would do. His Sorcerer pendant was hanging around his neck and under his shirt.

"_What is happening, master?"_

He looked to the corner next to the fireplace. All his snakes were entwined together in a big mass of scales.

Kahn had been the one to speak.

_Nothing_

Sostris slithered out from the scaly mass. _I will come with you, master._

Racking a hand through his hair, he did not try to stop the snake. He had learnt how stubborn his snakes could be when his safety was at sake. He took a breath and waited for the house elf to arrive.

A minute later, one of them had popped in. "If Young master would follow, Tanny will show young master to Master's rooms."

Julian nodded and left the room after the small creature. They walked quickly and silently, reaching a part that Julian had never gone to. The house-elf stopped in front of ebony doors.

"Young master is to go in."

Julian simply nodded, waving the creature away.

Really, ebony doors? Could he fall more deeply into the cliché dark Lord room?

He knocked and waited for an answer before stepping inside, closing the doors behind him. A least Voldemort had the common sense not to push his ancestral worship too far.

The living room was done with dark cherry wood covering the walls, thick rugs covering the stone floor, solid wooden furniture, a large fireplace, several paintings hanging on the wall, many of them from famous Magical painters that had even been known to the Muggle world.

Voldemort was standing by the fireplace, a glass filled with an amber liquid in his hand.

"Right on time, Mr. Richards."

Julian didn't answer, focusing on the Dark Lord.

He had changed to dark green robes, his eerie red eyes focused on Julian as he sipped on his glass.

"I have heard interesting things about you from my servants, young man." He twirled his glass' contents, watching him like a prey. "More particularly that Dumbledore spoke with you."

Julian kept his face blank.

"Hogwarts' Headmaster only wished to invite me to the school Halloween festivities. I declined seeing as I'm already engaged. He then offered to come to the school to peruse its library."

"A generous offer," merely said the Dark Lord.

"Sadly one I cannot accept without my master's agreement."

"Most unfortunate indeed," answered Voldemort softly. He placed his glass on the fireplace mantle and walked to stand in front of Julian.

"_You intrigue me, young man and I want some answers now."_

The young Sorcerer stilled his features.

"_Some answers are not mine to tell." _His hissing was not as sibilant as Voldemort's.

Hearing his master speaking, Sostris let his head peak out of the sleeve. Julian had not managed to deter his snakes from having one come with him to protect their human every time he had to meet with Death Eaters.

"_Master?"_

Julian gently petted his head to reassure him he was fine.

"I see you brought one of your companions. He is a fine specimen."

Julian bowed his head lightly. "My snakes refuse to let me go without their protection."

"You should feel pride in their loyalty."

"I do."

Silence stretched in the room finally broken by Voldemort whose patience had always been thin.

"Follow me."

He swept to a side door and the two of them entered a bare stone room which was obviously used for rituals. The only two pieces of furniture were the restraints fused in the opposite wall and the stone table on one side. Candles lighted the room, making the carved markings in the wall more striking as well as the rusty blood runes.

Voldemort took a dagger from the table as well as a cup.

"Your gift hasn't ever been found outside of Slytherin descent. I assume you are aware of the Lineage potion and ritual that is commonly used?"

Julian nodded.

"I tried it using some of your blood."

Julian frowned. How had he gotten hold of his blood… he was extremely careful not leave body parts or fluids around, that included blood, sweat, hairs…

Voldemort sent him a smug smirk.

"Your fellow apprentice was most agreeable to make sure you cut yourself while preparing ingredients… After all accidents are quite usual in a Potion Lab…"

Julian's eyes iced over, someone was going to regret ever thinking about such a thing.

If Voldemort noticed he was going to get one apprentice short, he said nothing.

"However, the potion failed." He studied the pale face of his servant's apprentice, wishing he could unravel all of its secrets. "I know it is no fault from the potion brewing."

Julian nodded gracefully.

"Indeed." He did not elaborate. Why give up information that had not been inquired directly, no matter if it had been implied.

Voldemort's lips thinned with annoyance mixed with amusement.

"This is then why I called you here tonight. Being an orphan, I can assume that you would wish to know as much as you could about your ancestry."

Julian chose not to answer, better to let him assume what he wanted to.

"You will then not object of undergoing a ritual that will determine if you are a part of my line?"

Julian thought of how to answer before finally speaking up. "Any knowledge of one's family is always appreciated. However what does this ritual exactly entail?"

"It is a simple magical assessment of your heritage. However you will need to part with your companion if you want him not to die."

Not liking the vague terms the Dark Lord had used but knowing he would only waste time in trying to learn more, Julian simply nodded. In low hisses, Julian explained the situation to the thin black snake. He reluctantly slithered off his human and went to rest on the table.

"_Beware, Speaker for death will be your fate is my master comes to any harm."_

Voldemort eyed the snake with amusement.

"_Nothing dire will befall him should he carry the magic of my line."_

Sostris hissed angrily.

"_And should he not?"_

"_Then he will die. But no Parseltongues were ever but Slytherins."_

Voldemort then motioned to Julian to step in the middle of the room. The Dark Lord walked to a part of the wall and quickly slashed his own left palm, letting blood fall in the cup. With his right hand he highlighted two runes before placing his hand to a particular stone.

Julian had no time to react as he was blasted to the wall.

Struggling, he tried to step away from the stones heating in his back.

"Voldemort, what- "

He was not able to say more as he felt things slithering around him. Looking down he saw thin black snakes come out of the wall and ensnare him. Two were going down his legs, two others down his arm, two from his waist to his neck and one extremely small around his neck to his face.

"Voldemort, what is the mean- "

But he was silenced as all the snakes dove and bit him at his ankles, wrist and both sides of his neck. Agony wracked through his body and his back arched backwards, struggling against the reptiles' hold, his mouth opening in a silent scream.

This was what the smaller snake was waiting for as he sprang in his mouth and entered Julian's body. The young man trashed against the wall, mouth opening and closing in silent pleas.

Voldemort cast a quick containment on the young man's snake as he was about to strike him.

"_Stop this, you are hurting him! Stop it!"_

Voldemort smirked and conjured a chair, watching for the following hour as Severus' protégé fought the ancient magic he had called upon.

Finally the snake retracted themselves and melted back to the wall.

Julian fell limply to the stone ground with a dull thud.

Voldemort stood up and walked to the young man.

Crouching at his head, he tilted it on one side and allowed a pleased smile upon noticing the Slytherin Crest tattoed on the nape of his neck. A dark green shield with a lighter green stripe surrounded on each side by a silver one going from the upper right corner to the lower left one. A blood red fully bloomed rose stood out in the middle and a black snake ensnared the shield. The colours were paler than on his own mark. It was now clear that the young man was distantly related to the Slytherin.

Voldemort immediately started to think of the consequences of such a find. Absent-mindedly, he checked the boy's pulse, ignoring the hissing snake that had wrapped around the young man's arm having freed itself from the containment spell somehow.

It was weak but steady. The boy would live.

He walked out of the room and summoned a house-elf.

"Take Mr. Richards and his familiar and bring them back to his rooms. Now!"

The small creature cowered in fear and bobbed his head up and down.

"Yes your Lordship, Coby will do it your Lordship."

Voldemort poured himself a glass of wine and sat in front of the fire. Things were turning out for the better. He would have his heir. He would make the boy his and mould him to his liking.

It would be tricky.

It would be a challenge.

But in the end a Slytherin always got what he wanted.

(o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o)

Julian stirred and was immediately awakened as his body heavily protested having had to move.

He looked on the side and realized he was in his room. What had happened came back to him and he immediately looked at his inner wrist to find two puncture holes they were starting to scar.

"_Master…. Master! You are awake!"_

Julian then realized he was surrounded by his snakes. Even the Runespoor was being quiet for once. Sostris head was dangling in front of him.

"_Calm down Sostris!" _he snapped, his hissing cutting. Moaning as his head throbbed painfully, he spoke up this time more gently. _"You were not at fault, Sostris…I apologize. How long have I been unconscious?"_

"_You have been sleeping for one light and one dark,"_ answered Kahn, the young Basilisk curled at his side.

"_The Speaker tried to come and see you but we protected you, master."_

"_Thank you, could one of you fetch me the small rounded bottle that smell of mice?"_

Salya slithered away and came back minutes later, a small vial stuck in her mouth.

Julian downed its contents in one gulp, wincing a bit at the taste before sighing in relief as the pain coursing through him dulled down.

Slowly, he turned on his side and stood up a bit unsteadily.

Closing his eyes, he took deep breath to steady himself and his magic which was running a bit amok. He could feel it had been unbalanced by whatever had happened.

"_Sostris, did you see what happened?"_

"_Once you fell, the speaker walked to you and checked something behind your neck. He seemed satisfied. Then he called one of the bizarre creatures to take you back here."_

Julian passed his hand to the back of his neck and felt a small warm lump. Pulling his hair up, he took his wand and conjured a small mirror.

His face turned cold as he spotted the Slytherin crest. He hated the feeling of being branded, but it was the lesser of the two evils.

It was only a heritage mark.

Let Voldemort think that gave him rights over him. He was his own man.

Letting his hair fall back down, he went to his wardrobe and took out new clothes for him to wear while trying to remember if there was anything special scheduled for today.

Not thinking of anything in particular, he put on a faded pair of jeans and a black Tee-shirt. He was going to spend quite some time in the labs to catch up yesterday's work and might as well be in comfortable clothes.

Going to the bathroom, he took out another vial of pain-killing potion; one he knew would not react with the first one. He took a shower, trying to wash out the soreness of his muscles, got dressed and headed out for the labs.

Foregoing breakfast seeing as it was already 10 am he entered the damp room and put on his apron, gloves and goggles before going to his black board.

He frowned upon looking at it. Only his work for the day was written there.

Snatching the orders he noticed it was only simple brews that where usually left to Ivan. Not about to chance his luck, he went to fetch the ingredients needed and quickly set to work. Two hours later he was finished and cleaning his work station.

That done and not in the mood to eat in the hall, he went to the kitchen and got something to eat before heading to his rooms.

He spent three hours there going through several Mind exercises to anchor his magic once more as well as reinforce his Occlumency and Dissolvency shields. The ritual had fully unlocked the Slytherin powers he had gained from Voldemort and he needed to refine his handling of them.

Then he spent the rest of his day in the High Security Labs, not in the mood to be disturbed. He brewed some of the potions required by the Vampires, started on two experiments regarding Phoenix ashes, griffin based ingredients and salamander ingredients, trying to keep his mind off of what had happened.

He was exiting the labs, intent on heading to his rooms, take a long shower, go grab something to eat at the kitchens, go back to his rooms and read for the rest of the evening as well as meditate for an hour. He had only thirteen days left before the Gathering and he needed to have his magical core anchored and under control before then. He also had letters to send.

However as he stepped out of his rooms after his shower, he knew he would have to make a change of plans.

A black-haired guy with a light olive skin was standing outside of his rooms, discussing with a red-haired girl, Zabini and Greengrass if his memory was still accurate.

"Richards, The Dark Lord requested your presence at dinner," stated Zabini, half leaning against the door, his dark brown eyes appraising him. Julian knew better than that.

The Dark Lord might have requested his presence, but Zabini might as well have said 'ordered'. Julian might be given more leeway than most but openly ignoring an implied order from Voldemort that wasn't breaking some of the guidelines his master had set wouldn't go well.

"Very well."

He three of them started for the hall.

"You went out quite a lot I heard?" said suddenly the Italian young man, a slight accent colouring his voice.

Julian smirked a little. "You are only young once… Why not make the fullest of it?"

Zabini nodded a little. "I heard you're going to Sins quite often… But from what I hear you don't enter there that easily, not even us can get in whenever we want… I have to admit it is the best one on the scene for now."

"I know the right people."

"We went last year for Draco's birthday. His father was a bit reluctant to let us go but Draco managed to get him to pull some strings on the condition we had an adult come with us inside. That was a bit of a dampener."

"Mr. Malfoy was right. Wizards can be easy preys in the club."

"Speaking of experience?"

Julian smiled coldly. "None of them would dare."

With that he nodded to the two of them and went to sit by Devlin, ignoring everyone else in the room. He ate quickly and made to stand up when Devlin grabbed his arm and forced him to sit back.

"The Dark Lord wants you to stay behind, boy."

Julian gritted his teeth and nodded sharply. Leaning back against his chairs, he looked around the Hall, having nothing better to do. He smirked a little as he spotted a few known figures… The Order of the Phoenix was not that helpless it seemed. For now he would let their spies be. He found it particularly amusing that Zacharias Smith would be part of Draco Malfoy's court.

Not really surprising, after all the blond was known for his bragging nature and tended to get a loose tongue when you knew how to flatter him. Apparently no amount of teaching from his father had taught him true caution. Julian smiled inwardly. The young man would soon learn or he wouldn't survive Voldemort.

Devlin left after telling him once more to stay put and it took some more moments for the hall to empty itself.

"Mr. Richards, if you could join us?"

Julian stood up and walked to the Dark Lord.

"I won't keep you up for long; after all you went through quite the ordeal yesterday."

The members of the Inner Circle looked at him, some of them not hiding well their curiosity.

Voldemort let out a dark chuckle. "Come here Mr. Richards."

Julian went to stand by his side.

Voldemort gripped his head and turned it completely to the side, raising up his hair and pushing the neck of his Tee-shirt down.

"I trust you recognize this mark and its meaning," he hissed.

Most of the Inner Circle eyed the young man with cold eyes. They could see it wasn't an heir mark, only one proving him to be of Slytherin blood.

Finally, Bellatrix was the one to speak up. "We are glad to hear that you were able to find someone of your blood, Master. Will he now join us since he is of your blood?"

Voldemort's hand tightened on Julian's chin, drawing a slight hiss from the young man. "Mr. Richards cannot yet take my mark or pledge himself to me due to some circumstances. He also needs to prove his worth. As you all know I still have to choose an heir. I will consider all the youths present in my ranks whether they have pledged to me or not."

Bellatrix sent a cold smile to the young man and Julian decided here and there that he wasn't going to part from his bezoar stone and the pendant Evan had given him.

Before he had been an annoyance, now he was competition.

"You can go, Mr. Richards." Voldemort let go of his head.

Julian nodded and left the room.

He went straight back to his rooms and set to write several letters, one went to Evan, another to his master, a third to the Headmaster and a fourth to his lawyers. Time to make sure he had not left a loophole unchecked.

The following week passed in a blur: between his work in the labs, his experiments and mastery work, his own training and studies as well as the meetings Voldemort asked he attend, he had little time to spare.

The situation was tipping in favour of the Dark, but Voldemort had had to tamper his original program to get the Vampires and Werewolves to join him.

There had not been slaughter of Muggles. England had more or less fallen under the Dark Lord's rule save for a few pockets of Resistance. However attacks, ambushes and sabotage were becoming daily occurrences, hindering Voldemort's plans of expansion.

The French Senate was about to back down after the Dark Lord had ordered a series of kidnappings of the families of the more bothersome members.

Julian assisted in several meetings with diplomats from several countries and came to appreciate how the man kept a precarious balance between intimidation, coercion and diplomacy.

A little less than a week before Halloween, he was surprised not to see Devlin apprentices bumbling around the room. Grant had come back five days ago, jumpy, prone to fits of tears when reprimanded harshly. Vallez was to come back in two days after a week of rest and Kolskov had suffered from an unfortunate accident in the lab as he added Dragon blood to a solution containing Kelpi blood and hairs. He was currently stuck in the Hospital wing in a vegetative state.

Julian felt no remorse reguarding this unfortunate event. The idiot should have been able to see the difference between Dragon blood and Grindylow blood.

He went to Devlin's office but stopped in the doorway as he noticed Devlin speaking with his own master.

"… well, our lord is growing quite fond of him."

"That's what I was afraid of."

Devlin let out a rusty chuckle. "Don't like to share, do you, Severus?"

"I'd like him to be alive long enough to pass his mastery."

There was a small pause.

"There's more to it, isn't it? You wouldn't go to such length for a simple apprentice."

"You've been using that dreadful powder again."

"Keep an eye on your boy then, you were warned of the results of our lord's ritual?"

"Yes," snapped the younger man.

"Very well. I will show you around the labs and present you to the heads of the other departments, though I'm sure they haven't forgotten you."

"What of my apprentice?"

"I assigned him Guane's orders, he should be done by the end of the morning and will occupy himself for the afternoon."

Julian decided it would now be a good moment to leave. Stopping to grab the papers with the few potions he was required to brew, he went to set up his work tables and went to work.

He bowed to his master and Devlin as they walked past him.

"Come to Devlin's office after lunch, apprentice we both have things to discuss." Not waiting for the young man to agree, he swept out of the room Devlin walking at his side.

Julian spent the remaining part of the morning brewing some generic anti-poisons, some Skelegrow, burns balms, sedatives and pain-killers.

He noticed a change in the atmosphere as soon as he stepped in the hall. The Death Eaters were on edge and low whispers were running around the room.

The cause was easy to spot.

His master was sitting at the Head Table, looking annoyed and ready to snap at the first opportunity.

He went to sit next to Devlin, an amused glint showing in his eyes that Devlin did not miss.

"Shall we make a small wager, apprentice?"

Julian raised an eyebrow. "And what wager, Devlin?"

"That the old bat will curse one of those dunderheads before the end of the meal."

Julian looked at his master before shaking his head. "He will get his revenge away from any possible witness should one of them be stupid enough to anger him."

Devlin snorted. "That would be typical of him…"

They both turned to their meals and ate in silence. Julian exited as soon as he was done and went to his rooms. He had seen his master's eyes and did not want to be caught in the crossfire.

Really, the Death Eaters should know better than to gossip about a susceptible Potion Master when he was in the room.

By dinner time, he was quite tired, but had quite progressed in his control of his core and the environment's magic. It seemed that the Heirship ritual had unlocked something within his core.

Dinner was a quiet affair after word spread that four Death Eaters had been found comatose, their lips glued together, half-transfigured into hyenas.

Julian entered Devlin's office an immediately noticed the changes that had been made.

Instead of the organized mess that had been Devlin's room, a spotless organisation had been set up. The six large aquariums had been disposed of. The old man was quite the collector of rare and unusual fishes.

Snape was already sitting in his chair. Brusquely, he motioned to the young man to sit down.

"Devlin and I decided it would be better to exchange our places. Thus I will now work here."

Julian simply nodded.

"We discussed your progress and I have little to say regarding your brewing or your thesis. You showed surprisingly little of the idiocy, rashness or ineptness that comes with your age. We will however discuss your use of salamander's blood but that can wait."

Severus folded his hands and examined his apprentice as if he was a newly discovered ingredient. "I don't know how you managed to conceal your heritage or block the Lineage potions and I don't want to know. You have to realize that the Dark Lord is extremely interested in you, boy. He wanted you to join the other youths in training but agreed that you were more needed in the labs for now."

He glared at his apprentice. "I do not want to be bothered because of you. You should be intelligent enough to deal with the situation; if not then you are not worth my time"

Julian refrained from snorting. What time?

"And starting after Halloween, you will see me for two hours every night. Only bring your wand, parchments and a self-inking quill. Dress for outdoors and meet me in the entrance hall at nine."

Julian raised an eyebrow at the Potion master. "Yes, master."

"Good, now, leave me."

The young man bowed silently and left to go back to his rooms. The week leading to Halloween was quite amusing from Julian's point of view.

The lesser Death Eaters were keeping clear of his master, having heard horror stories from the senior Death-Etaers or from those living at Ython. The more powerful ones were wary of him and were trying to assess his intentions regarding the Hierarchy. Though Voldemort had him sitting with his Inner Circle, Severus wasn't part of it.

At least it had taken the attention a little away from him.

The day before the 31st, Julian was coming from the practice room, intent on getting a shower, a good breakfast and then going to the labs.

On his way, he was however accosted by the Juniors as he had dubbed them. The platinium blond one, Malfoy something, called him as he passed them.

"Richards."

Politeness requiring him to answer, Julian nodded to them.

"Malfoy."

"I don't think you've met the others, this is Blaise Zabini, Zacharias Smith, Pansy Parkinson, Daphne Greengrass, Millicent Bulstrode, Theodore Nott, Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe."

Julian nodded in salutation.

"We haven't seen much of you lately…"

"My master has been keeping me busy."

Draco smirked. "That sounds like Uncle Sev."

Julian nearly choked. "Uncle...?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "He is my Godfather, though I haven't seen him for at least two years and he always seemed to forget my birthdays… Though I might visit him tomorrow…" he added pensively.

Had Julian been a good person, he would have warned the blond to stay away from his master who had been in a foul mood as his recent experiments kept blowing up.

But he was not a good person and the verbal lashing the young blond was sure to be met with would definitely be worth the slight worsening of his master's mood.

"Well, Uncle Sev's slave driving habits apart, we wanted to ask if you wanted to come with us for our practice sessions this afternoon."

The young Sorcerer shook his head. "That won't be possible, I'm afraid, I'm expected in the labs for the whole day." That and he didn't want to spend days with those wannabe spies. Really, couldn't they be any more obvious?

"Well, then we will see you at the Halloween Ball," gushed Pansy, clutching the arm of Malfoy junior.

Julian repressed a smile. "I am expected elsewhere and won't be able to attend."

"What a pity," stated Zacharias in a bored voice, "we were told that the Dark Lord had found Muggles to entertain the guests."

"Indeed… If you will excuse me, I need to go. My master does not tolerate lateness."

He did not wait for them to agree or not, nodded and walked away.

Malfoy looked at him, curiosity shining in his eyes.

"Not very talkative," said Blaise.

"How could he brush us aside like this?" snapped Pansy. "Doesn't he know who we are?"

Theodore turned to Draco, ignoring Pansy's blabbering. "Draco?"

The young blond looked at him.

"He is most interesting..."

(o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o)

The next day, Julian packed a bag for his stay at Nightshades, not forgetting his chest with his ritual and battle robes and his weapons. He was to meet Evan at the edge of the school wards at eight in the evening. He spent his morning in his rooms, clearing his mind and reinforcing his magical core's anchors.

By noon, he started to get ready. Like all those who hadn't taken part in the gathering, he couldn't eat or drink anything coming from a living being for the twenty-four hours preceding the Ceremony. He took his time as he went through the purification of his clothes and weapons as well as of himself.

That done, he braided his hair in an intricate pattern every graduate was taught. Even the clumsiest student, if such a person existed among the graduates, was able to do it eyes closed.

Going to his mirror, he took out small vials from a bag and took a pencil. Opening, a small white one, he dipped the pencil in the silvery liquid.

Unicorn blood, willingly given.

Each student was given one vial of it to be used on Samhain. Looking in the mirror, he slowly drew the Volo rune on his throat, then he opened uncorked another vial filled a blood red liquid.

Nundu's blood.

Dipping another pencil made of nundu fur and griffin's fur in the vial, he carefully drew the Ligo rune above his heart.

Then came the last one, the Suppleo.

Taking a third pencil, he dipped it in the third vial.

Phoenix blood.

With extreme care he applied it to his forehead, hands trembling as he felt it react to his own magic.

He waited for a minute to make sure they had dried before putting on his clothes which consisted of his Nightshades graduating outfit: the dark grey pants, then the shimmering black robes. He zipped them up with his wand, checking no runes embroidered on it had been damaged. Strapping his weapons on, he then buckled his belt and sheath. Going to pick his sword from the rack on the wall, he checked its gleaming length before sheathing it.

Then he pricked his finger and let a drop of blood fell on the school crest. A golden lining appeared to show his rank among his peers. He pushed Evan's necklace under his robes, but left his Sorcerer pendant's out.

Going to his Ouroboros marked chest, he took out a small box and picked the thick gold ring lying in it. He had not worn it since its creation, having not yet graduated from Nightshades and thus earned the right to wear it. He put it in the pouch hanging on his belt.

He put on his black boots, his black gloves and clasped his cloak. Shooting a last look at his reflection and checking that his blood runes were still intact, he then cast a glamour to hide them from view. He exited his room and headed for the Apparition point.

The Death Eaters he crossed scurried out of his way.

He met with Zabini, Malfoy, Greengrass and Parkinson on his way out. The four of them were wearing tailored dress robes or gowns.

"Richards," said Malfoy looking him up and down. "You are leaving, I take?"

"Indeed."

"It's a pity you couldn't attend the Ball," stated Greengrass, "you would have made quite the impression. What are those robes by the way?"

"My graduation robes."

"Too bad Hogwarts doesn't have something like this…"

Julian refrained from rolling his eyes.

"I wish you a good Samhain night however I must leave."

He nodded to Malfoy and Zabini, kissed Parkinson's and Greengrass' hand, amused as the two girls flushed a little.

"Good Samhain to you too, Richards." Draco watched as his Godfather's apprentice walked away, his cloak billowing in his wake in a move reminiscent of the Potion master.

Pansy and Daphne were whispering to each other, stealing glances at the retreating back.

"Most interesting indeed Draco," said Blaise. "Did you hear about his heritage mark?"

Pansy nodded. "I did, it was all my parents were talking about for a few days."

"Mine did too and from what Julia told me, Regis and her were told to keep an eye on him and deal with the situation accordingly," added Daphne

"Bellatrix must be on a rampage," said Blaise, smirking.

Draco smirked. "My dear Aunt has been ranting about Richards since that ritual. My mother has barred her from our room."

"She wants our Lord to name one of the twins his heir." Daphne's tone left no doubt about her opinion of the former Black.

Draco sneered. "She certainly groomed Regis for it. Julia was groomed to wed and get control of whoever the Dark Lord might chose apart from Regis. She is insufferable."

Daphne shrugged. "Julia slipped from time to time. She told me she was to get closer to Richards and bed him if possible."

"He is the one most likely to be heir if he isn't killed…" agreed Draco.

"But she doesn't have a chance," cut Blaise. "It might get amusing to see her attempt to charm him…"

"How can you say this? Julia can be extremely convincing…" Draco's cheek had flushed a little as he said that.

Blaise chuckled as he took Daphne's arm and started to lead her to the Ballroom.

"Nightshades' do not bond outside of their circles or rarely. Furthermore, in those cases the outsiders are tested before allowed in."

"Aren't you exaggerating it?" Pansy seemed doubtful.

Blaise shook his head. "They form a tight knit community and the best thing is that nobody seems to realize it…"

Draco dismissed the thought. "Well, at least, I will enjoy Julia making a fool of herself."

The four friends chuckled and put on their masks. It had been decided that the Ball would be a Masquerade with masks being discarded only by midnight.

Meanwhile, Julian apparated to a small street, walked through some brightly lighted larger streets, crossing groups of Muggle children disguised as vampires, witches, ghosts, fairies ad so forth, bags filled with sweets in their hands.

Reaching a Victorian house, he hit the doorbell and nodded at the man who opened the door.

He easily made his way to the backyard garden. Stepping in a circle of stones, he focused and popped away.

He reappeared at the edge of a large lake and quickly waved a warming charm around him. The school had first been built near the Constance Lake at the frontier between Austria, Germany and Switzerland. However its founder had quickly deemed it too vulnerable.

As the witch burnings started, they started to build the new school. After three years, the new school was opened and the old one kept as a façade. A family was chosen to inhabit the large manor that had housed the school, protecting the school's true location and the portal leading there since then, the burden passed among its descendants.

The manor had been expanded with time to keep up the pretence and shrouded under various veils to keep people, wizards and Muggles away.

Julian upgraded his warming charms and looked over the lake. It was nearly frozen.

"Julian!"

He turned and saw Evan walking his way.

"Evan, nice to see you."

"You too. How have you been?"

Julian shrugged as they headed for the school entrance.

"Alright. It could be worse."

"Meaning not that good."

Julian sighed. "It's alright. Our plans are progressing as scheduled. I can deal with Voldemort's interest for now."

Evan looked piercingly at his friend.

"I was told he isn't the only one taking interest in you."

Julian nodded. "Dumbledore approached me at Rigel's premiere and tried to look through my mind."

Evan snorted. "Not really subtle of him."

"You can say that."

They both stopped before a huge tree.

"Really, why did they have to relocate to Siberia…"

Julian rolled his eyes. "Well, if you know another place with a large and deep lake which isn't overused by boats of all kinds, be sure to warn the Headmaster…"

He passed his gloved hand above the tree trunk, before finally finding what he was looking for. Taking off his left-hand glove, he pricked his middle finger and put his bloodied finger on an engraved pattern. As the moonlight hit the bloodied area, the tree trunk shimmered and made a hole appear, stairs spiralling downward.

The two youths stepped in the trunk, walking down. The entrance closed as soon as they hit the third steps and torches lit themselves as they descended.

Three hundred and eighty-seven spiralling steps.

They finally reached the bottom of the stairs and walked along a kilometre long corridor. Passing groups of former graduates on their way, Julian took off his glamour charm, allowing the runes to appear.

They finally came out in a large plain at the limits of a small forest. Julian took in the sight of his former school, his heart skipping a beat as it always did.

Spires and towers shot up, linked by bridges and glass tunnels. The building's eccentric lines could only be explained by magic, a huge central dome that housed the school arena and ritual chamber attracting the most attention. It was a crazy structure that seemed to come out of the mind of a mad architect or of a child.

Glass, crystal had been mixed with granite, obsidian, steel and dark woods. Magical lines were shooting from one part to the other, running along the walls. Three smaller domes protected the green houses, a large building housed the various creatures that the students could study or work with if they planned to go into creatures' handling.

But the most awe inspiring feature of this school was the sky… or more precisely the water. An enormous dome covered the school, keeping the cold waters of the Baikal Lake away. The light from the Siberian sky passing through the ice and water, enhanced through magic to illuminate the whole area.

Groups of people dressed in the school black robes were milling across the plain and around the school.

Evan and Julian made their way to the school's doors, stopping from time to time to salute some of their peers.

They stepped in the main Entrance Hall and Julian was reminded of his arrival at the school six years ago…

"Care to share the joke, Julian?"

The dark-haired youth rolled his eyes. "Just remembering my first days…"

Evan repressed a snort. "Not your best moments…"

Before they could say more they were accosted by a tall brunette.

"Well, what do we have here… If it's not that dear Julian and his pet Vampire?"

Julian turned to look at the newcomers. "How delightful to see you again, Ovou… a pity you didn't acquire some brain cells, though I heard the mortals are making tremendous steps in that regards…" He paused, smiling a toothy grin. "But what am I thinking? You remember Evan I'm sure, the new High vampire Prince?"

Ovou flushed and paled at the same time, making his face an interesting sight.

Evan sent a predatory grin to the werewolf, his eyes glinting. Ovou visibly swallowed what he was about to say, having enough sense to know when to back down.

"It seemed to have slipped my mind, I will see you at the Confrontation, Julian. We will see what the company of mortals did to you…" he stated, his tone of voice hint enough of his opinion of mortals.

"We will see indeed, I must however take my leave. Evan, Ovou." He nodded to the two of them and headed for the room where those to be initiated were to wait.

Walking through several corridors and a flight of stairs, he nodded and exchanged a few words with people on his way. He reached the Initiation room and placed his hand over the hand print on the door, watching as it dissolved, allowing him entrance.

Stepping inside, he ignored the door closing on him.

There was only six other people present for now. Two Vampires, a Veela, a Forest Elf and two humans spread around the room. He barely knew them, having only seen them in the corridors and Hall or during Duelling Tournaments.

He should have been initiated the year before, but due to his age, he had had to wait for his Majority, creating a unprecedented quandary as his year group had had to graduate without a Dux.

This had never happened before. That students graduated one year ahead it was not unheard of, but two? There had been a large debate over him winning his Dux title while Evan was named his Second. Dux were chosen to represent their year group before the school council. If a graduate encountered a problem or found himself in a quandary he would appeal to his Dux.

More importantly, Dux could draw on their peers' magic and gather them together should it be required. That there had been no Dux for his year mates' graduation meant that their link to the school had not been complete and that they hadn't been able to beneficiate of their graduate's rank as they could have.

Tonight, he would be initiated as one of Nightshades' but also as his group's Dux, completing their bond to the school.

But he was no fool.

He knew that his authority as Dux would be challenged. A year was a long time, long enough for graduates to think they could overthrow him.

A grin spread on his face in anticipation. It had been long since he had had a worthy opponent, save for Evan during some of their sparring matches.

The room itself was fairly large and completely bare save for the walls which were covered with marks.

Walking closer, he studied them closer, realising they were the marks of all the former students of the school, those walls a Testimony of their stay in this school.

Little by little people filled the room greeting each other, talking in small groups, all of them staying clear of Julian. It looked like they still remembered him after all.

They were about thirty people gathered in the room when Karal and Zoar, his second, entered the room, both of them dressed in their Graduation robes.

"Evening, Nigtshades'. You are here because you proved to have the will and the power needed to graduate from this school. Tonight you will be free to explore the world and find your place and the way to exploit your skills. Tonight you will join all the graduates that went through this school and become a part of Nightshades itself."

Karal paused slightly before resuming his speech.

"Your power will strengthen our wards; your soul will be linked to all of those who follow our teaching. We are a family and tonight we welcome you in our midst. Let's rejoice in this moment."

He looked around the room.

"Shadows in the night only know themselves. Remember our motto and your allegiance."

All the youths no matter their race bowed and fell on one knee, head bowed downward.

"In this room, your childhood comes to an end and you will leave it as adults to join us."

He stopped in front of each graduate, placing his hand on the nape of their neck, muttering a few words every time.

He stopped in front of Julian and paused for a moment before placing his hand above the Slytherin crest tattooed on Julian's nape.

Julian felt a jolt of power coursing through him and felt his every senses sharpening as his magic sizzled inside of him, wanting to free itself.

Once everyone had been unbound, Karal spoke up again.

"Rise, Children of Nightshades and place your mark on this wall through your magic and blood."

Julian rose to his feet and took out his graduation ring from the pouch, slipping it on the middle finger of his right hand, feeling it magically readjust itself.

Every student had to design and create their ring and mark that would be unique to themselves. The choice of the mark and material were up to them. He had chosen gold infused with his blood and his familiar's blood. His mark had been more difficult to come up with. In the hand he had chosen a seven-point star surrounded by Ouroboros, an heptagonal black diamond embedded in the middle of the star, this stone being his preferred focus.

Prickling his left forefinger, he put some blood over the ring and went to apply it to an empty spot on the wall. There was a small gold flash. He pulled his ring away from the wall and saw his mark engraved in the wall, with a golden lining to show his rank of Dux.

"Come now and face your peers. Dux, you will face your companions and if found worthy of your title will be the one to complete your peers' bond to the school."

They left the room behind him and Zoar and headed for the Arena where the Ceremony was going to take place.

On his way to the Arena, Julian nodded to several paintings, statues or passing ghosts.

He after all owed them.

He smirked as he spotted a particular painting who returned his smirk… the good old days…

He had been in the school for a day and was completely lost as to how to behave. He had just discovered that magic was not mere tricks and that werewolves and vampires existed as well as some other strange creatures whose name he couldn't place. He had seen moving pictures, screaming, human shaped plants, a strange beast that looked like a cross between a eagle and a horse that a mad scientist could have come up with.

He knew he was supposed to go to class, but he couldn't tell where he was, lost once more. He caught his feet in the carpet and hit the painting hanging on the wall, drawing a yell of protest from its occupant.

"Watch where you are going you miscreant!"

He apologized, but his attention was caught by the shimmering blue and green snake hanging around the woman's shoulders. It was hissing something to the woman, but the strange thing was that he could understand what it was saying…

"_What a runt, mistress… and a rude one at that… Doesn't he know that staring is quite rude!"_

"_Hey! It's not like speaking snakes are common!"_

Both the woman and snake went quiet and stared at him for some time making Julian uncomfortable before the woman spoke again.

"Who are you, boy?"

"What is it to you?"

The woman rolled her eyes. "It's not often that I meet a Snake Speaker, boy. So I repeat my question, who are you?"

"Julian Richards," snapped the young boy, getting fed up with the painting.

"Richards? Muggleborn?"

"Mug-what?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Definitively Muggleborn. I don't know how you came by Solizar's gift, boy but such a gift means you must be more than what meets the eyes…"

She did not leave time to Julian to protest her words. "I will help you as long as I deem you worthy, boy," she said in a tone implying she was doing him quite the favour.

Knowing that antagonizing her at that moment would be detrimental to his health and future in this place, Julian nodded and clumsily bowed to her as he had seen one of the students do the day before.

"You might not be that hopeless, boy, I can sense power around you… Yes, I will help you as will other paintings. You will meet me in the abandoned room at the top of the North Tower after dinner, bring your writing equipment. The exercise alone will do you some good…"

Julian couldn't see how a painting was going to help him. However this was the first helpful thing that had happened to him since he arrived, so he wasn't going to pass it even if it turned out to be a fluke.

"How will I go there, I barely can manage to go to the hall from my room without getting lost!"

Edna gave a suffering sigh. "I really wonder… Place your hand on my painting."

Julian obeyed, and felt a rush on information go through him.

"That should help you get your way around the school. Make sure you do not miss your lessons, even if you don't understand much for now. I will explain more tonight."

Julian nodded, grateful. "Thank you… Who are you by the way?"

The woman sent him a wicked grin.

"Edna… Edna Slytherin."

Julian made a note to go talk with Edna before he left. She had been the wife of Solizar Slytherin, Salazar's grandfather. He owed his survival to her after all. This meeting had been the first of many. Little by little she had taught him the tricks and rules to survive in the school without the guidance of upper students.

Other paintings had taken to meet with him in the North Tower on the evenings, teaching him the ways of the school, the history of the races, the theory behind some of the courses or the background needed to understand some of the others.

Over the months, some of the pictures had taken to following him in the halls and warned him of stray spells or attacks. They also brought back interesting pieces of news to him that he dutifully collected and recorded for future use, coming to see the value of knowledge on his peers.

Following Edna's advice he had started befriending the school's ghosts who turned out to be a well of knowledge and advice.

He took to haunt the Library, pouring over books, using a handy memory spell, Edna had taught him through a focus he had found in one of the room.

The statue of Hildegarde the Fourth had told him it wasn't the perfect focus for him but that the bead of amber would do for now…

If Julian had learnt something in the Orphanage and on the streets it was the value of alliances and the non-living were proving to be quite the allies…

He also decided to put his snakes to use and had them recruit others to guard his rooms and possessions… Keeping Salya and Sostris with him at all time.

He took great care not to show much improvement, keeping his skills hidden until he would have no choice but to reveal them. Being underestimated was always for the best.

The look on most of the students' faces as he nailed the two idiots that had thought it wise to tease Evan about his charge's incompetence had alone been worth two years of playing the dunderhead.

Shaking his head, he focused back to the present time as they neared the Arena's changing rooms entrance.

Zoar looked them over.

"You have five minutes to ready yourself before we enter the Arena. Make the most of it."

Julian went inside the rooms and slowly stretched, ignoring the other graduates, some talking in hushed groups, others checking on their attire and weapons. Only a few others, among whom a young blood-red-haired vampire who was the group's Dux, were also stretching. Julian nodded approvingly at the young vampire, Quinn if he remembered well. The challengers had very little chance beating him in a fight. Quinn had had the well earned reputation of being a shrewd competitor and Julian respected his skills.

He used the last minute of wait to centre himself, his eyes closed, sharpening his senses.

As Zoar came back to fetch them, his eyes snapped opened. Those next to him took a step backward at the power swirling behind the green irises.

They exited the room and entered the brightly lit Arena, a deafening cheer rising up in the air as they appeared.

Let the show begin…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Here it is.

Hope you enjoyed it.

Naia


	7. Samhain

Chapter 7

Disclaimer : I do not own anything you'll recognize.

A/N: It has been a long time. Nearly a year or more than one, I think. I do apologize, but Fanfiction was not the first thing on my mind lately. I wasn't that motivated to write and was more into reading. However that motivation has been slowly coming back. I also needed to know where I was going with this story.

As for now this chapter has not been betaed, I'm waiting for a response of my betas since I hadn't contacted them for quite a long time. So a corrected and edited version of this chapter will be posted later.

And so, here it is. I hope you will enjoy this chapter.

**Chapter 7****: Samhain**

_Shaking his head, he focused back to the present time as they neared the Arena's changing rooms__' entrance._

_Zoar looked them over._

"_You have five minutes to ready yourself before we enter the Arena. Make the most of it."_

_Julian went inside the rooms and slowly stretched, ignoring the other graduates, some talking in hushed groups, others checking on their attire and weapons. Only a few others, among whom a young blood-red-haired vampire who was the group's Dux, were also stretching. Julian nodded approvingly at the young vampire. His name was Quinn if he remembered well. The challengers had very little chance beating him in a fight. Quinn had had the well earned reputation of being a shrewd competitor and Julian respected his skills._

_He used the last minute of wait to centre himself, his eyes closed, sharpening his senses._

_As Zoar came back to fetch them, his eyes snapped opened. Those next to him took a step backward at the power swirling behind the green irises._

_They exited the room and entered the brightly lit Arena, a deafening cheer rising up in the air as they appeared._

_Let the show begin…_

:¨:. .:¨:. .:¨:. .:¨:. .:¨:. .:¨:. .:¨:. .:¨:. .:¨:. .:¨:. .:¨:. .:¨:. .:¨:. .:¨:. .:¨:. .:¨:. .:¨:. .:¨:. .:¨:. .:¨:. .:¨:.

Julian's eyes widened minutely as he took in his surroundings.

He had been in the Arena many times for Duelling or Combat Competitions, for Duels, for War games or any practice their teachers saw fit to put them through, but never had he seen the Arena like this.

It had been built similarly to a Roman circus with a large arena in it centre which you could access from the sides by four entrances or through a fifth one which opened in the middle of the arena. It had been the one they had taken.

The stands were filled with all the school graduates, all dressed in black and grey. The columns going up to the dome seemed to have living shadows twirling around them, pulsing with the cheering coming from the crowd. The dome was obscured with a pulsing black mass seemed to be made of the night itself. From time to time, silver threads coursed through it. Julian felt as if it was whispering to him, welcoming him.

Silver and black draperies were hanging around displaying the school's emblem, the nundu shifting from side to side, letting out a roar from time to time.

A gleaming black Duelling ring had been set up on one side, its ward thrumming with power. On the other side, an altar had been raised.

However what caught Julian's attention was the gleaming pillar of power that seemed to shot up in the air. Silvery-blue in colour, it had hundreds of rings floating inside of it: all the ring of those graduates that had died since the founding of the school. Upon their death, the ring channelled their power to the school. It then disappeared to reappear in this pillar, a testimony to the graduate's existence.

Looking around, Julian quickly spotted all the teachers standing in a reserved part of the central stand, under a dais, overlooking the arena.

Looking intently through the mass of people gathered, he finally found his friends. All of them were watching him closely.

His attention was brought back to the Headmaster as he rose to his feet, making the stands quietened by his mere presence.

"Nightshades! Welcome home!"

He waited for the cheers to die down, a smile on his face.

"A new Samhain. A new night during which Shadows will roam the earth freely. Tonight new children will join our family. They proved their worth, their strength, their power. They are worth of the name of Nightshades! Welcome our new brothers and sisters!"

Loud cheering answered his words as the people in the stands stood up. Julian watched, impressed at the moving black mass, a hint of gold or silver flashing from time to time through the crowd.

One by one each new graduate was presented to the crowd, with their names, accomplishment and title announced for all to hear.

Finally it was Julian's turn.

"And last but not least, Julian Richards. As all of you are aware, Dux Graduate Richards finished our schooling two year ahead and obtained the Dux title. His year group graduated without him as he hadn't reached his majority yet. Tonight challengers will be able to call him on his title and his peers will complete their bond to Nightshades." Karal paused for a few seconds, a small smile on his lips. "I will remind you that he graduated among the top five of his peers, he gained Mastery in Poisons, Mind Arts more particularly Occlumency, Allure and Compulsion, Transfigurations, Charms, Duelling, Non Magical Duelling with a mention in swordsmanship, Runes in the fields of Animation, warding, enchantments and spell crafting, Arcane Arts, History and Inter-racial Magics. He studied under my tutelage and currently possesses the rank of Sorcerer Novice."

Julian bowed like all the graduates had done before him and looked around with a cool look. He still kept a tight grip on his Dissolvency shields, wanted to keep his true power hidden until the last second.

Karal resumed his speech.

"Before the Ceremony can begin, the challenges will take place. First, Dux Graduate Quinn will measure up with his challengers then Dux Graduate Richards will fight against his own. Should there be some who wish to call him on his title, I ask them to speak now or remain silent forever."

Julian watched coolly as six people rose to their feet and challenged him.  
Ovou had been obvious. The Werewolf had never got over humiliation Julian had dealt him during their school days. He was a good fighter but tended to let his temper get the better of him and Julian knew which buttons to push to get him to snap.

Two vampires were making there way to him. Erwan and Gahail. Julian spared them a nod. Both were members of the Osrald Clan and acquaintances of Auguste. Erwan was a Summoner while Gahail was a blood mage.

He raised an eyebrow upon noticing that Apollonia had challenged him. The Veela was sashaying down the stairs relishing in the appreciative looks sent her way. She had always been most annoyed at his immunity to her charm. However he was not fooled by her angelic appearance, having seen her enthral rooms of people and made them perform her binding.

The last two were unsurprising, Vick, a Member from the Blackmoon pack in Austria, a werewolf that had specialized in Mind Arts. And lastly, Yraelle was entering the arena and stretching. Julian rolled his eyes as many males' eyes were going back forth between Appolonia and Yraelle. Both had had a strange relationship of rivals and allies. They had had been the upper females just as Julian and Evan had been the upper males in their year group. Yraelle was a hybrid Vampire and Succubi and had graduate with the rank of Novice Necromancer.

She shot him a sultry look, a small smile on her blood-red lips. He smirked back, looking forward their fight.

While he and his challengers were stretching and warming up, Quinn faced his own challengers and unsurprisingly defeated them, being met with the deafening cheers of the crowds as they shouted their approval. Karal spoke a few more words, acknowledging Quinn as the Dux, a tall Veela standing besides him as his Second.

Karal then turned to look at Julian with a small smirk.

"And know it is time to finish what was started a year ago. Dux graduate Richards was challenged and will now fight to prove his worth to his peers. It is up to the challengers to decide the terms of their duels and the order of passage. Dux Julian Richards, step in the arena and prove your strength. May the first challenger approach and the strongest win!"

Ovou immediately stepped forwards. Julian was amused to see Erwan and Yraelle roll their eyes as they conversed with the three others to agree on an order of passage.

"Ready to lose, Julian?" drawled the young Werewolf.

"You should lay off the white pills, Ovou; they do nothing for your sense of reality. Now name your terms," he sneered.

"Sword only, no magic of any kind. Until one of us is incapacitated."

Julian said nothing and unsheathed his own sword, his mind going over all the possibilities. He knew the Werewolf technique was better than his so had to play on his weaknesses…

They saluted themselves as the crowds started cheering for one or the other.

Karal raised his right arm brought it down.

"Begin!"

Immediately they fell in their respective defensive stance. Silence fell on the stands as everyone waited for one of them to make the first move, watching with keen eyes as the two youths circled the other.

Julian had yet to let go of his Dissolvency shields. This challenge being purely physical, he had no need to release his power.

Finally Ovou grew fed up with waiting and lunged for him, sword raised. He feinted left before spinning on himself, his blade aiming for Julian's side. However the young sorcerer had fought against him often enough to know of his standard beginning move. He dodged the blow, not bothering to block it, knowing Ovou was superior to him in terms of strength and speed, no matter how much enhancement he had given his body through rituals.

He did not waste time striking back, aiming for Ovou's sword arm, only to be blocked. Not letting the werewolf lock his own sword, he rolled away, dodging and parrying the next blows, falling in a more defensive stance, knowing the werewolf would only grow more and more upset at his lack of offence.

And an upset opponent was more prone to mistake.

After ten minutes of this game, both were sporting shallow cuts on their bodies but none seemed about to yield. Julian was studying his opponent while defending. He could see that his attitude was getting to his challenger. Frustration and a gleam of gloating were rising in the werewolf eyes as he lunged for his left side. He jumped on the side, parrying the next blow and allowing Ovou to lock their swords.

"So Julian, getting rusty? Or are you too scared to fight?"

Julian raised an eyebrow.

"Why should I waste my energy on someone like you, Ovou? A kitty cat like you is not worth it, aren't you, Kitten?"

He knew he had him right where he wanted him as the werewolf roared in fury and lunged into a series of frenetic blows.

Too easy.

Dodging Ovou's blade, he parried the next blow, feinted for right before striking left. As Ovou blocked him and pushed him back, he used this momentum to make a back ward somersault. As soon as his feet hit the arena's ground he threw himself on the left and twisted on himself, his sword a flash of light as Ovou rushed past him, having rant straight for him in blind anger.

A sharp cry was heard as well as dull thud as Ovou's right arm fell to the ground, blood gushing from the wound. However Julian did not stop his attack. Werewolves were quite resistant to pain and he knew that Ovou could easily fight with both hands, something he had yet to master.

He sprang forwards and had his blade against the werewolf neck before he could react, the loss of his arm having stunned for the few seconds Julian needed.

"Do you yield, Ovou?"

The werewolf growled and tried to get out of the young man's hold, only to have the blade harsher against his neck, a thin cut appearing.

"Do. You. Yield?"

Ovou swayed on his feet, blood still gushing from the stump that had been his arm and even werewolf were not immune to blood loss."

"I yield." He ground out.

Julian stepped back and allowed two medics to step forwards. Cheers rose within the Arena and Julian smiled as he saw his friends clapping and whistling.

He turned to the other challenger, taking two small vials from his robes and swallowing them. The cuts immediately sealed themselves and he felt immediately refreshed.

Vick was the next one to challenge him to a Mind Duel that ended with the werewolf being blasted a few meters away after a few minutes.

Julian went to help him stand up, shaking his hand while the stands cheered.

"Well fought Vick."

"You've even gotten better, Julian. I never really had a chance," said the werewolf, smiling.

Erwan stepped on the arena and went to salute Julian.

"Hello, Richards."

"Erwan. What will it be?"

"A Magical duel, Unforgivables, Enchantment and Runes barred, until one of us is unable to continue."

Julian nodded.

"Focus or Wandless?"

Erwan eyed him before answering.

"Wandless."

Julian bowed his head in agreement and both settled in the middle of the arena. They saluted each other before spinning on themselves and walking away. As soon as he finished his last step, he rolled forwards, sensing a spell pass above him.

Spinning on himself as soon as he was back on his feet, he shot a petrifying spell at Erwan who deflected it aside.

"Come on Julian, let me see what you can do!" shot Erwan, a smile on his lips.

Julian smirked darkly in return and sent a volley of spells his way, dodging the Confusion spell as well a mild pain Hex.

Ten minutes later, they were still going at it strong though it was becoming clear to those in the stands that Erwan was tiring. Julian used a wordless Serpensortia to conjure a snake which he duplicated quickly before ordering the reptiles to attack. Erwan quickly froze the advancing animal, dodging and attacking all the whiles. Conjuring blades he sent them for Julian along with a pain curse that had been the base of the Cruciatus.

Apparating out of the way of the Curse, Julian reappeared to Erwan's right, shooting a curse before apparating away again. Erwan followed him and soon everything became a blur of figures appearing and disappearing to the spectators.

A gasps echoed in the stands as Julian reappeared just as Erwan disappeared only to conjure a look-alike out of a pebble before disappearing again from view as Erwan reappeared flinging a strong blasting hex at the conjured dummy, making fly back and hit the arena's ground with a loud thud. The young man quickly cast a petrification charm on the dummy with slightly incredulous eyes.

"Well, I…"

He didn't have the time to finish his sentence as a hex sent him flying painfully in the air. Cursing, he shot back on his feet but was not able to avoid the barrage of spells that came his way. Cursing once more, he saw smirking green eyes before blacking out.

A few seconds later, he came back to his senses and noticed a hand in front of him. Grabbing it, he was hauled to his feet amidst the cheers coming from the stands. The two young duellers bowed to each other before shaking hands.

"Good duel Erwan, you've improved since last."

"I've been apprenticing under Sophie Beaumard," replied the young man good-naturedly. "She's been teaching me a lot."

Julian simply nodded before turning to see who would be his next challenger and made a sweeping bow as Appolonia glided to the centre of the arena.

The Blonde shot him an enchanting smile.

"It's good to see you Julian. You've made yourself scarce these past months."

Julian ignored the Veela compulsion that tried to ensnare him.

"What will be your choice, Appolonia?"

She eyed him up and down.

"Hand to hand," she answered with a small smirk, "until one of us yield or is unable to go on."

Julian tilted his head forward minutely.

"Very well."

He carefully shrugged off his robes before standing in front of the Veela who had followed his example. She was dressed in the usual Nightshades outfit: long form fitting grey pants and a top showing off her figure, while he was wearing his own grey pants and top that clung to his torso.

They circled each other amidst the cheers coming from the stands. Appolonia was moving with the inherent grace of the Veela women, her blond hair taking a sparkling edge in the lights of the arena, her ivory skin almost shining.

Suddenly she pounced forwards, her hands going for his head while her leg aimed for his knees. He dodged the blow and returned it. He had quickly learnt not to be fooled by her china doll appearance. She could pack a nasty punch as she had not been afraid to demonstrate repeatedly.

They exchanged several more blows, Julian barely side stepping a low blow to his privates. He rolled on his right before feinting left and jumping on her as she was about to kick him in the stomach. They both fell to the floor, Julian on top.

She brought her knee up, but he used his left hand to block as he tried to shift her to her side to get her in a choke-hold.

Suddenly, he froze for a split seconds as she undulated under him instead of trying to buck him off of her. Her eyes got a shine to them, teasing his senses as her beauty seemed to increase.

He quickly shook his head, shoving the compulsion away as he press himself to her, locking his leg through her right to stop her from rolling them over and gaining the upper edge.

Taking advantage of her surprise, he shifted on her right and got her in a bind.

"Do you yield, Appolonia."

"Julian dear, you know you really want to let me go," she said in a sultry, husky voice that would have entranced most men.

Unfortunately for her, Julian had never been amongst those.

"Do not make me repeat it, Appolonia," he said, tightening his hold.

She sighed.

"I yield."

He let her go and straightened himself.

"You've gotten even more resistant to me, Julian, if that is even possible."

Julian shook his head.

"You should know better, Appolonia."

She shot him a wry smile.

"That does not mean I cannot try," she answered before sashaying away, the eyes of nearly all males in the stands following her.

Julian only rolled his eyes then turned to the next challengers.

Gahail gave him a good fight but everyone knew that the real challenge would be the last one.

The female Succubus -Vampire hybrid stepped up, a small smile stretching a red lips.

"What will it be, Yraelle?" asked Julian nearly giddy at the idea of fighting the Necromancer Novice.

She shot his a smirk.

"All out bar Avada Kedavra," she said in a clear voice, the stands erupting in cheer upon hearing it.

Julian felt his magic rising up at these words.

He shrugged his robes back on, activating a few runes for weightlessness and to make sure they wouldn't get in his way while reinforcing the shielding ones. Then he rummaged through one of his pockets and withdrew a small gem that he fitted in the palm of his right glove.

He had had to bargain hard with the dwarves for this gem but it had been worth it. It was a completely pure thirteen-faced black diamond. The purity was a guaranty that the stone would not overheat or shatter as large amount of magic passed through it.

Looking back at his opponent, he saw she had her sword out and her focus settled in her palm too. She had favoured a net of thin chains holding a sixty-nine faced ruby. Julian only knew about it thanks to the dwarf that had sold his own stone. He hadn't stopped ranting against the hybrid that had him cut sixty-nine faces out of a perfectly pure ruby.

He bowed deeply, followed by his peer. There was a moment of silent as they fell into fighting stances before they lunged at each other.

Twenty minutes later including quite a lot of blood spilling over the arena, three corpses rising from the ground, a flock of minor demons running amok, Incubus Illusions and Trance, heavy transfiguration and animation as well as Runes being flung around while shock of sword meeting sword echoed in the place, Julian appraised Yraelle as her last demon withered away, both of them slightly out of breath.

They slowly circled each other, trying to gauge the other and find a weakness to exploit.

Yraelle was moving with unnatural grace, her Incubus heritage shining through. Julian dodged two spells aimed at him, sending some of his own back; nothing too serious, just to try to unsettle the other.

The young man made a few lunges at her which she parried easily.

Suddenly the arena seemed to dissolve around them, people falling to dust in the stands. Julian remained standing, completely defenceless and a bit unsettled as he suddenly found himself unable to move.

Taking deep breath, he crushed the panic rising through him at the idea of not being in control and focused on his core, throwing a shield up, anchoring it to a minor node he had found while in school.

Manipulating his own core, he blinked, shifting his vision, redirecting magic to his eyes. He could feel spells hitting his shield.

Realizing he was under an elaborate Incubus Illusion, he decided not to overthrow it immediately and prepared his retaliation. Following the magical threads running around, he tweaked them slightly, weaving his trap around his opponent.

As soon as he finished tying the last threads, feeding the web a tiny bit of his magic to make sure the whole thing would hold under pressure.

He allowed himself a small pleased smile as his construction strengthened with the additional magic. The only thing left was tying it to its victim. He shifted his sight, keeping himself firmly under control thanks to his Occlumency as the Illusion had shifted to a tiny room that seemed to close on him, trying to play on his fear of small space and of being locked up.

Maintaining his Dissolvency up, he allowed some of his magic to leak and shatter the illusion, hitting straight at the connection the young hybrid had made to his core.

Immediately, the arena came back into focus. Quickly, he disabled his shield and threw several curses around, taking advantages to the slight disorientation the magical backlash and wrought over his opponent.

It wasn't enough to prevent her from dodging the attacks but was sufficient to distract her as he keyed the trap to her core.

He took a lunge at her, which she parried, locking both their swords.

"You've improved, Julian."

"So did you."

She twisted his sword, lunging forward at the same time, bringing her left hand to his arm. He danced out of reach, remembering how she favoured potion laced darts back in school.

They exchanged a few more blows as the stands cheered them on.

Julian dodged a bludgeoning curse, reflected a shattering hex aimed at his arm and shot his own back. Yraelle easily blocked them.

"Quit playing Julian," she snapped, getting a bit annoyed as she could see he was drawing out their fight.

"But who says I am?" he shot back.

"Please, I can sense your Dissolvency shields are still up."

He smirked.

"Who says I need to?"

Her eyes narrowed in anger as she spat a curse. However the curse never made it to its intended target as Julian activated the trap.

Yraelle's eyes widened as her spell bounced back to her. She dodged it only to have it bounce again as it hit something behind her. It ricocheted a few more times before seeming to be absorbed by whatever was surrounding her.

Cautiously, she raised her aura and expanded it, feeling it hit whatever was surrounding her. Narrowing her eyes, she poured some more energy and saw a tight web of magic surrounding her like a bubble. She fed it some more energy, examining the threads.

She poked at it with the hand holding her focus and with the one holding the sword. Looking up at her opponent she saw he had sheathed his sword and was looking at her, a smug smirk on his face. Infuriated, she conjured a heavily powered beam of magic and aimed at what she had deemed the weakest point of whatever Julian had conjured.

She shot it with as much power as she could gather and could only gape as it was once more absorbed and the bubble's size was cut in half, tightening on her.

She tried using her own Incubus branch of magic only to get the same results. Her following attempts weren't any more successful and made the web shrink even more around her.

Julian shot her a smug smile as he shot a petrifying curse at her doubled with a stupefying one. She managed to dodge the first but was hit by the second.

She crumpled to the floor in an unconscious heap.

The young Sorcerer could hear some disappointed groan coming from the stands amongst the cheers. It seemed some might have wanted a more explosive end to this duel… But Julian couldn't bring himself to care. Why waste power?

With a twist of his hand he freed his opponent and helped her to her feet.

"Well fought, Yraelle."

She sent him a small smile.

"Not well enough, it seems, Dux," she said, bowing with her hand.

Julian took her hand and kissed it gently amidst cheers and catcalls.

"Besides Evan, you were the one who came closest to defeat me. Had he not my second already, the title would have been yours."

Yraelle pulled her hand away with a smile, taking his words as the compliment they were.

"Careful, Julian, one might think you are human."

The young Sorcerer smiled.

"Me, never."

Yraelle let out a small laugh.

"Time to face our peers Julian. However a little straightening wouldn't do much harm to the both of us."

Julian distractively waved his right hand, his focus glowing briefly as his clothes straightened themselves. He noticed Yraelle was back to her impeccable self too.

Meanwhile Karal had approached them, all the teachers of Nightshades, all the Dux currently alive, Quinn, his own Second and Evan following the Headmaster.

"Well done, both of you," he said quietly. Casting a wandless Sonorous on himself he turned to address those in the stands who had come to their feet.

"Friends! The challenges were met and answered. Anyone else opposing the Dux shall speak now or remain silent forever."

As silence fell on the arena, Julian couldn't shake the sentiment of being the bride offered in a wedding. Dismissing the thought, he reported his attention on his Master.

Karal smiled darkly.

"So be it."

He led everyone to the altar. Julian could feel the power slowly rise. The main pillar seemed to expand and the dome pulsed as silver strikes multiplied. Julian was ready to bet all he had that he could hear the whispers more clearly.

"_New Dux…"_

"_Power…"_

"_Sorcerer…"_

"_Marked…"_

That last whisper carried anger that made a shiver ran down Julian's spine.

They stopped in front of the altar from which the pillar was coming from. Karal motioned to Quinn and Julian to step forwards with him, Evan and the other second close behind them.

The other Dux formed a half circle around them as the teachers placed themselves on each side of the altar.

Karal lengthened his fangs and cut his right hand, letting a few drops of his blood fall on the altar's top. Julian stifled a gasp as he felt a surge of power as he had never felt before. The silver strikes all shot down the pillar and coalesced, forming a gleaming blade.

It was a translucent blade with a black handle that Karal plucked from the pillar.

"Dux Quinn, step forwards."

Julian saw and heard nothing more as he was encased in darkness. Damn these secrecy clauses! He spread his magical awareness.

He could feel what he knew was the pillar pulse with power. He felt large energies flares as the past Dux activated their bond to the School. After some time, he felt a new entity being accepted amongst them. There was a magical blast as Quinn joined to the school power. He then felt Quinn's second and his peers join him, bonds forming between them and the giant nearly sentient power that was Nightshades. Then another blast much more powerful that washed over the arena connecting to every person present spare a few that Julian knew were his own peers as their connection to the school was only partial.

The darkness surrounding him lifted itself and he was able to see and hear once more.

Quinn had joined the other Dux and his second was walking towards the stands. Only Karal, Evan and he were still standing by the altar.

"And now, friends, a long awaited moment as Dux Julian Richards will finally join us." He paused as cheers erupted from the stands. "Julian Richards step forwards."

"You stand before us after having won all the challenges you were met with. Tonight, you will rise to your place among us and be forever tied to the school. We are one family and you will now stand bared before us, no mask, and no shield."

Julian nodded and for one of the first time in an unshielded room lowered his shields completely, letting his magic free.

Several gasps were heard as people felt his magic touch them.

As one all the Dux spoke up.

"Fides umbrae."

The pillar seemed to expand to twice its size.

"Step forwards, Julian Richards."

The young man obeyed quietly, coming to stand next to Karal mere centimetres from the altar.

"Your eyes will be Nightshades', your magic will be ours as ours will be yours, your sword will rise in our defence as will ours should you be in need."

As he spoke, Julian could feel the magic starting to thrum around him, enveloping him slowly, enticing him. His blood started to beat in time with the magic's thrum, deafening him.

He watched as the headmaster made a shallow cut across his left palm.

His aura spiked to its highest, making some around him take a few steps back or stumble. He saw Karal's lips move but could only hear the thrum of magic in his ears.

He felt his magic shift as it connected to those of the various Dux standing behind him. His eyes widened as he felt himself be lifted up and towards the large pulsing pillar of power. He found himself encased in it, surrounded and drowning into raw power. He dimly felt Evan's and his peers' magic being added to his, starting the bonding process.

Looking down, he saw Karal looking at him with a small smile as he uttered the school motto once more.

"So mote it be_. **Fides umbrae**_."

The blood pearling on his palm glowed brightly as several drops detached themselves from his hand. His back arched and his mouth open in a silent scream as a powerful magic like he had never felt before rushed through him, using his magical channels and connected to his peers, inducing in them a strong magical high. He felt like liquid fire was running through him, burning him from the inside out, washing away all taints on his magic and core. A sharp pain erupted where his scar had once stood and he could feel whatever bond might have been anchored there dissolve into nothingness.

At the same time he felt an entity older than time rummage through his mind, leaving him helpless as his innermost secrets were laid out, as his actions were judged.

Then the pain disappeared as quickly as it came and the soothing feeling of being embraced in comforting arms, a feeling he shared will all those bonded through him, replaced it as Nightshades welcomed its new children.

In a rush of picture and sounds, knowledge and history passed through all their minds as the collective memory of the school was transmitted to them. Julian's Occlumency skills went immediately to work as he was slowly brought back to the arena's ground, organizing the new information and rearranging his mind around the new bound that linked him to the school. He could feel it permeating his magic and immediately knew it would forbid him from ever entering a bond as a servant to someone not bound to the school already.

He repressed a satisfied smirk. That gave him a beautiful reason not to be marked and not even one that was of his fault. After there was nothing he could do, Voldemort would just have to swallow it…

That coupled with the breaking of the bond that the Dark Lord had unwittingly created the night he tried to kill him was more than he could have expected.

As he was gently brought back to the floor, he sent feeling of gratefulness across the bond tying him to the school, earning a mental caress in thanks.

Then he was back to the reality and stumbled a little. Gathering his bearing quickly, he opened his eyes. Unnerved by the silence reigning in the arena as all eyes were on him, making him a little self conscious; he looked down and nearly jumped out of his skin. Only his occlumency training kept him from letting out an undignified squeak as he noticed the thick silver aura surrounding him, tendrils shooting up to the pillar of power or down through the ground. Gently, he raised his Dissolvency shields, bringing his magic back to him. It took him a few minutes as his power rather enjoyed its freedom but he finally got his control back. A hand fell on his right shoulder making look into Evan's eyes.

"Alright Julian?"

Taking a deep breath, he nodded.

"I think so... It was …intense."

Evan rolled his eyes, a wry smile appearing across his face.

"No, really?"

Squeezing his shoulder before letting go, he went back to the stands as whispers started to rise from the stands.

Karal sent him a small smile, pride for his protégé shining through his eyes and motioned for him to walk back to his side.

"Well, done, Julian," he whispered in his ear before addressing the crowd.

"Friends! Tonight new members entered our ranks and two new Dux rose to their rightful place among their peers. On this night, our power is strengthened once more. Let's rejoice and celebrate the Shadow's powers!"

The cheer that rose from the stands was deafening.

Julian watched with wide eyes as people stood up and swarmed the whole arena, magic rising in the air, the pillar of power widening and pulsing widely.

A deep beat started to echo thorough the place entrancing people, quickening and multiplying, leading them in a wild dance. He couldn't believe that the usually stoic Nightshades graduate could behave like this.

"Startling isn't it, Julian?"

He looked up, startled into the bemused eyes of Karal, snapping out of the partial trance the scene and beats had place him into.

"It's…" For once the young man couldn't find the right word.

Karal smirked, letting the young Sorcerer see gleaming white fangs.

"This is the one night when we can all surrender to our desires, our wants and let ourselves go free. The one night when we let the Shadows overcoming us and made us do their binding. Many times the fate of many of us was decided on that night. Many of us were also conceived on that night. The Shadows made sure that all those needed would be gathered when the time came for us to step up."

Julian shot him a shrewd glance as he was led towards the pillar of power.

"And you believe that time has come."

Karal shot him a look.

"You have been hearing the shadows as I have. The Dark and Light extremes are soon going to come to their last stand and destroy each other. It was Seen."

Julian scowled.

"Bloody Seer…"

Karal let out a small laugh.

"Do not allow yourself to waste your life away. A prophecy will come true whether you do anything about it or not."

Julian opened his mouth to answer but was cut before he could utter a word.

"Now is not the time, Julian. Now we rejoice in our magic, our powers." As he said that, he pushed the young man into the pillar before following him, all the Dux behind him. One by one, they disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Julian barely managed to gather his bearing as he reappeared into a wide circular room with obsidian covered walls.

He sensed Karal appear behind him, but did not turn, his eyes fixed on the huge sphere hovering in the middle of the place, shooting tendrils of power all around that seemed to seep into the walls.

"The core…" he whispered.

Karal gently pushed him closer while all the Dux took their place in a circle.

"Yes, and now you will take your place among us. Lower all your shields even the deepest ones and let yourself go."

Dazed by the swirling movements of the power it could feel in front of him, he bared itself to it as Karal spoke out the school motto.

**_"Fides umbrae"_**

Immediately the sphere expanded to include all those present and Julian knew no more as he felt himself be swept away by the wild power. He could feel something or was it someone caress his face and sides, then be swirled around to have the sensation of a hand running through his hair while being embraced.

It would indeed be a night to remember.

xOxoxOxoxOxoxOxoxOxoxOxoxOxoxOxoxOxoxOxoxOxoxOxox

Dumbledore looked at all the students gathered in the Hall for the Halloween feast with twinkling blue eyes. Ah! To be young again… Laughs, happy smiles and talking were filling the room for the night, the harshness of the war left behind for a time as children enjoyed behaving as such.

He could see young Longbottom sitting at the Gryffondor's table which had been pushed to the side, as had the three other tables.

Why the boy could not have been like his father?! Franck had been one of the backbones of his Auror team back then. However it seemed his son had not inherited his dispositions. Despite what the others might believe he was not completely blind. Even a troll would be able to see the boy was not suited to lead. His calling was with the herbs and within the Healing Houses.

But there were _no_ others.

If only the Potter boy had not disappeared from the face of the world… He had tried everything to find him, used every tracking charms, every devices even called on a few favours from the Department of Mysteries to help him find the boy. A team was created to search for him. Not even Fawkes had been able to find him. By the time the boy would have turned fourteen; there had been no time or man power to spare to look for a boy that was probably dead while Voldemort was upping the ante in the war, striking the Wizarding with his full power.

He knew that the Potter vaults were still sealed, meaning that the boy was probably alive somewhere. The only way to explain how he couldn't find him was either a change of his magical signatures or wards strong enough to confound a phoenix.

Whatever it might be, it didn't bode well for them. No, it was better to make use of what they had. He would allow the youths to believe he hadn't caught on their little scheme of making Neville their figurehead but have the Weasley boy as their real leader.

As long as Neville was able to deliver the final blow, the how didn't matter.

Seeing all those youths made him think of another one.

Julian Richards.

His meeting with the young man had worried him. He could admit if only to himself that he had not behaved as he should have with him and might have alienated him.

But he had needed answers… ones he hadn't got, though he should have foreseen the boy would have strong mental shields with Severus being his Master.

The boy was barely seventeen and that thought had brought even more worries to him. So young and already such connections… This was not that strange given his schooling in that Vampire's school. But his youth coupled to the fact that he had already graduated from Nightshades meant that he had also some power to back his connections. Strangely only the fact that he had attended Nightshades was doing anything to reassure him.

He had learnt the hard way that no Nightshades would ever swear allegiance to someone or something other than their school. But that did not change the fact that he was working in Voldemort's lab.

He would only have to make Severus see that sending his apprentice to Hogwarts could only be beneficial to the boy.

What he would do with the boy's connections to the Vampires and Werewolves. The Vampires were a lost cause already but maybe some could be persuaded to withdraw their support. As to the werewolves, he could only do so much without the backing of the exiled Ministry. Most of those working there had left the moment the Ministry had been attacked. Well, those that had survived the attack. That did not stop them from being a real pain, thinking they knew what was to be done.

But that was another issue for another night. He needed to get closer to that boy and the only way to do so was through Severus. If only there wasn't that apprenticeship. It made things much more complicated for him to get the boy out of Voldemort's reach. Short of kidnapping him, Severus was the only way to get the slightest access to him.

And he wasn't about to kidnap a Nightshades graduate…

He was shaken out of his thought by a high pitched scream and had to bite back his chuckles upon seeing several students turning into giant bats, spiders and pumpkins… It seems the youngest Weasley boy had still to overcome his fear of spiders if his shriek had been any clue.

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and let himself be drawn in a conversation between Minerva and Filius. There would be time to worry over that particular problem tomorrow. For now he had to make sure the people enjoyed themselves as much as possible.

He eyed the crystals he had painstakingly placed all around the Hall and could see them faintly glowing as they filled themselves with all the positive energies and light Magic permeating the room.

The wizened wizard knew that the Chosen one would have a power the Dark Lord did not know of, but it couldn't hurt to be prepared and Dumbledore knew for sure that positive energies and feelings were completely alien to Voldemort.

He discreetly waved his hand, triggering the charms he laid over the ceiling during the afternoon and soon a show of lights that would have made Muggle fireworks proud was met with awed faces and bright smiles while Fawkes let out a joy-inspiring thrill.

Dumbledore settled back in his chair, a satisfied gleam in his eyes as the crystal glowed even brighter.

xOxoxOxoxOxoxOxoxOxoxOxoxOxoxOxoxOxoxOxoxOxoxOxox

Voldemort surveyed the ballroom, a pleased smirk on his face. He was sitting on his throne under a dais, Severus Snape in robes of the deepest black sitting on his right and Lucius on his left attracting a lot of eyes in his grey and silver robes. They made a startling and powerful contrast given the awed glances shot their ways which had been what Voldemort had been aiming for. Of course, initially he had wanted to have his Dark Prince on his right and the young apprentice on his left. Now that would have been an inspiring sight for his men. To see those two powerful men under their Lord's control like barely tamed vipers… He dismissed the thought. It was no use chasing after what would not be.

Suddenly a sharp pain erupted in his head, making him feel as if his head would split in two. Then as brutally as it had started, it stopped, leaving only a slight throbbing behind.

"Severus, do you have any headache draught with you?"

The man shot him a piercing look as he handed him a small vial.

The Dark Lord gulped its contents, feeling the throbbing disappear in mere seconds. As he massaged his temples, he quickly checked on his Occlumency shields to make sure that it hadn't been an attack against him. Reassured that no one had dared to do so, he reported his attention back on the Hall and the people before him.

His servants were mingling together, talking, dancing and for some of them having fun with the Muggles he had ordered caught for their entertainment. Some had been locked in rooms linked to the Hall by a door concealed behind a tapestry to provide some pleasure to his men. Others were sent to the dungeons to entertain the more twisted of his followers. No matter how fond of torture he might be, completely gratuitous torture was a little distasteful even to him. However he needed the brute strength those enjoying it provided him. The fear of a loving one being tortured was a powerful deterrent for those that might think of opposing him.

The rest of the Muggles had been spread through the Hall and transformed into living furniture. Several of them had been made into large tables that supported the food. Others were used to holds the drinks. Many had been made into chairs that were having quite the huge success.

Voldemort had turned a blind eye to the slightly different use some of his followers had made of the "furniture". As long as the Muggles were still breathing and relatively unharmed, he saw no problem with his servants using them for their pleasure.

He saw Bellatrix and her husband disappear through the door leading to the dungeons and knew the woman's crimson robes would have acquired a new shade of red by the time she returned.

Narcissa Malfoy was talking with several other pureblood wives in a corner, their gazes eyeing the youths dancing in the middle of the room, no doubt discussing future betrothals.

Voldemort shifted his gaze to the youths in question. He knew the time would soon come when he would have to choose one as his heir, even if he did not plan to die any time soon if ever if his plans succeeded. But a Prince would reassure the masses and give him someone he could delegate some of his authority

The Malfoy heir would never have his father's imposing presence. He was powerful and a deadly dueller. But he was also impulsive, something his father had yet to cure him from and quite vain too. But he could be trained…

The Zabini boy was not one for the limelight but would make quite the spymaster. The Nott heir did not have the charisma needed.

The Lestrange twin was also a distinct possibility. Bellatrix had trained her children well, too well to Voldemort's taste. The boy was too ambitious and bloodthirsty even by his standards and would have to be brought to heel swiftly.

The girl held a bit more promises. She was ambitious but did not have yet that glint of insanity present in her brother. However her possessiveness and jealousy could become a hindrance quickly.

But none of them held the appeal Severus' apprentice exuded or his power, not to mention his Slytherin heritage.

The boy might hide it, but Voldemort knew better. A basilisk would never submit to an average wizard.

It was a pity the boy couldn't be here. It would have been interesting to see him in the middle of the pure-blood dances.

But it was only a minor setback. There were still the Solstice's celebrations to see how the boy would fare amongst Purebloods out to make him fall.

Never mind their plotting, the boy would be his. Voldemort's eyes glinted excitedly at the challenge seducing the young Parselmouth to his side would represent.

He stood up.

"Friends! Tonight we celebrate the dark; we rejoice in its power, we let our magic run free!"

Cheers nearly deafened him.

"And now for your entertainment, the Arena!"

He waved his hand, triggering the charms he had placed before hand.

Slowly a part of the floor started to slide aside, revealing an underground circular arena. Seven doors were blocked by bars and about twenty to thirty Muggles, dressed like gladiators were cowering in the middle of the arena.

Voldemort shot them a chilling smile.

"The rules are simple, filth. You will fight for your lives, amongst yourselves or against animals. If you are still alive by the time the sun rise, you will be allowed to leave."

Many Death Eaters were gathering around the arena, shouting.

Four men herded all the Muggles bar one through one of the door. This one wore a simple leather armour, and carried a spear and a round wooden shield.

Voldemort sat back, waving his left hand and one of the door opened, a starved Hippogriff running into the arena immediately. His wings had been clipped, preventing him from escaping.

The Dark Lord sat back, the cheers of the Death Eaters massed around the arena mixing with the screams of beast and man and with the orchestra whose waltz was making many couples glide across the room.

It was their time, he thought, time for the wizards of true power and blood to take their rightful place.

xOxoxOxoxOxoxOxoxOxoxOxoxOxoxOxoxOxoxOxoxOxoxOxox

Julian stirred with a soft sigh, feeling quite sore. He opened his eyes sleepily, raising a hand to rub at them. Despite the soreness of his muscles, he had never felt as rested and relaxed as he then felt. It was then that he realized that….

He was naked…

His eyes opened fully and he sat up abruptly, looking around himself, his memories coming back to him in flashes of sounds, pictures and feelings.

Shaking his head, he decided he was better left not knowing what had happened in its details. He was not worried about consequences. He had made sure through handy little runes that nothing would ever come of a one nightstand. With a wave of his hands, he summoned his clothes to him and dressed quietly.

"Your wandless practice is going well I see." Julian turned sharply and saw his Master looking at him with a small smile. The young man nodded minutely.

"I still have a lot to learn."

Karal's smile widened.

"We never stop learning, Novice. That is the path we chose to walk as Sorcerer."

He fingered Julian's Sorcerer medallion that he rarely parted with.

"You are the most promising student I have ever taught, Julian."

"I am the only apprentice you ever took, Master."

Karal ignored his answer.

"We, I mean the Council and I, have high expectations for you."

Julian bowed his head before looking straight in the Vampire's eyes.

"And I will do my best to fulfil those, Master."

Karal nodded.

"I know you will. I will advise you to practice extreme caution. They are all starting to notice you…"

The young man nodded.

"If their eyes are focused on me, then it will make them blind to what others will do."

Karal's eyebrow shot up.

"Indeed… I foresee a few interesting months coming up… Do you have anything to tell me?"

Julian shook his head.

"Not for now. I will keep you updated on our progress and will pass you the word when the time will came."

Karal smiled.

"Very well, Novice. I will also relay your progress to the Council, give my greetings to Severus and tell him I would enjoy seeing him again..."

None of them said more on that subject, having already told each other enough and went back to more mundane topics as Karal led them to a hidden door on their right.

"_Fides Umbrae"_

An arch opened and they stepped through, followed by those who had woken up. They walked quietly through a maze of corridors before stepping into the central Arena.

Julian's gaze swept over the area, immediately noticing that the pillar of power had disappeared and that the place had returned to its usual state if you omitted the hundreds of people in various state of nakedness lying around. Some were already up and talking quietly as they dressed up and left. Others were stretching, while some still appeared to be sleeping despite the light spilling through the dome.

The young man immediately spotted his friend and upon getting his master approval headed towards them.

They all congratulated him warmly.

"Well done, Jul…" said Thynan, a wolfish smile on his face.

Auguste bowed his head with a small smile.

"Indeed, it was certainly more fulfilling than the last ceremony."

"You can say that again, Auguste. That is without mentioning the fact that you have been holding out on us, Jul."

Xavier nodded.

"How did you manage to gather so much power, Jul. You must have broken another threshold again…" The young Rune Novice said, frowning.

"It must have to be linked to that heritage mark you're now bearing," answered Selene before Julian could answer his friend.

"It does," he said, "The ritual Voldemort used seems to have unlock a part of my magic I had not been aware of."

Kal eyed him, a serious look in his eyes which was unusual for the carefree vampire.

"Do you need me to readjust your weapons and arms bands?"

Julian nodded.

"I do, I was going to ask you if you could adjust them."

Kal shot him a smile.

"No problem, just come see me tomorrow and I'll modify them."

The young human nodded.

"So," started Evan, "what did you think of the celebration?" He smirked at his friend, his canines glinting in the light.

"It was definitively… unique and something to remember…" replied Julian, not rising to his friend's bait.

They all laughed as they made their way out of the arena and wandered for some time around the school's ground, talking quietly. From time to time they would stop to discuss with others and little by little they left the school to go back to their own places.

Finally only Evan and Julian were left.

Having decided he would come back later to discuss with his former allies and teachers, Julian headed for the stairs which would lead back to the outside.

Once they were outside, they both tightened their cloak, raising their collars to block the biting wind sweeping over the ice-covered land.

Cursing under his breath, Julian immediately cast a warming charm on himself. Evan was watching him with a smirk, hardly hiding his amusement at his friend's plight.

"Don't even say a word," warned the young man.

Evan's smirked deepened.

"Why would I need to…"

He ducked the itching hex that was sent his way, laughing.

"Feisty aren't we this morning? Didn't you get enough exercise last night?"

"Leave the lewd comments to Kal, Evan, they don't become you."

The vampire just shook his head.

"Nevermind. How is our little project progressing?"

Julian smiled.

"Quite well. Kal really outdone himself with the various papers and parchments we needed. They were easy to slip through the Ministry's files and now Syrin's industries, led by Rex Tomskjav are the only ones allowed to exploit that part of the ocean and its ground by Magical and Muggle Law."

Evan rolled his eyes.

"I see that Kal worked his magic again… I assume he weaved compulsion and obliviate charms through his ink once more…"

The young Sorcerer's smirk was his only answer.

"Then, we have had three platforms set up thanks to the Goblins and Corina's Family."

"They work in the Mining business, don't they?"

"Exactly, the Elementals have set up a dome over the whole area and erected a pathway to link the platforms to the dome. Some of them are still working on stabilizing the ground and set their web for when we'll decide to raise it back to the surface."

Evan's eyes widened.

"How did you manage to get them to agree to that? Last time I checked they had withdrawn from the world and were frying anyone hinting at them coming back."

Julian shrugged.

"I didn't say it was easy… However they are facing several problems which have to do with that isolation. Problems we might be able to solve for them."

"And which problems are we talking about?"

"A compromised immune system that make them more sensible to common diseases, a level of in-breeding that have managed to keep quite low for now due to the care they put into the pairing of their youths and the balance they are keeping to keep their population at a manageable number as well as diversifying the gene pool. But even with that they are coming to the end of this system."

"That's all?"

Julian shook his head.

"No, they are also asking for several rare potions, a focus stone carved by a rune master, some gold and for us to act as mediators in their feud with the dwarves."

"The potions, I'm sure you can deal with. The focus stone shouldn't be too hard to come by with, same for the gold. The last one I wish you luck with…"

"You mean you wish US luck with it…"

"You know very well that dwarves and vampires do not have the best of the history!..."

"That was 800 years ago, Evan…"

"That was worth a try… How is the rebuilding going on?"

"As I said the Elementals are strengthening the ground and redirecting the power lines with the help of some of Ilana's Elfish friends. The goblins and the dwarves are managing to work together with little bloodshed. We won't do more for now until the power lines are stables and the whole area is completely disconnected from the ocean ground. Only then will we start on the wards and the actual construction as well as enchanting."

Evan nodded.

"Good, I'll keep my father informed on the progress. Do tell me when our men will be able to come."

"I'll keep you updated."

The vampire adjusted his cloak and raised his hood, followed by his friend.

"Be careful and take care, Julian? Do not hesitate to call for us should you need it."

"I'm always careful, Evan. That's how we survive."

They both brought their right fist to their hearts, bowing their head and murmuring their school motto.

"Fides Umbrae"

They then disappeared, drifting to a first location before making several quick apparition jumps to finally both reach their destinations.

Julian reappeared at the apparition points near Voldemort's Headquarters. He quickly walked to the entrance, letting the ward check his identity as he said the password. He then stopped before the guards, allowing them to check his identity, glowering when one them dared to ask him to relinquish his wand.

The Death Eater faltered at his glower and the second guard having finished his check motioned to the Potion Apprentice to enter the Stronghold.

Tightening his Dissolvency shields as he did so, he walked briskly through Lazarin. It seems that most of its inhabitants were still sleeping.

As he made his way through the fortress, he could see hints of what had occurred the night before. The house-elves still had to erase all the curse marks on the walls or the blood that was marring some of the stones.

Curious, he made a small stop in the ballroom and made a grimace of distaste.

What a waste.

A small army of house-elves were working hard at cleaning the place. Several bodies of muggles were piled near the entrance, some of them having not met a quiet death.

Bellatrix' handiwork no doubt. Several others seemed to have been mauled or partially eaten by various beasts. Apparently Voldemort had decided to bring back the antique Circus' games to the "gout du jour".

What a waste of lives, minds, blood, power and energies.

With a sneer, he whirled on his heels and strode back to his suite. Once there, he changed back to his brewing clothes and headed out to the Laboratories.

As he stepped in them, he saw that only his master was there, a cauldron simmering in front of him as he carefully dosed Kelpie's blood.

"Master," he saluted as he went to look at the assignment's board. Quickly jotting the potions and their quantity in his notebooks, he went to fetch the ingredients required as his master finished his work.

As he organised his work table, he could feel Snape's gaze on him.

"I assume that your night was profitable, apprentice."

Julian gave a short nod.

"It was master. I hope your Samhain was equally enjoyable."

Snape shot his a nasty sneer.

"If you can call enduring a whole night filled with simpering idiots, insane and bloodthirsty maniacs trying to show their superiority by hurting those weaker than them, purebloods attempting to be subtle in their manipulations then yes my night was… enjoyable"

Julian knew better than answering.

"Your connection to the Dark Lord was dissolved last night, wasn't it?" finally asked the potion master.

"It was. My link to the school would tolerate no others."

"I thought so when the Dark Lord asked me for a headache draught. He has not made the connection yet and I don't think he will. It will give even less reason to be suspicious of your true identity."

He continued upon seeing the young man nod.

"We will be left in peace today. Everyone will stay in their rooms at least this morning or be too tired for the day to be a hindrance. Your assignments are on the board. Once you are done, you have your day to do as you wish. You will wait for me at the entrance after dinner dressed for outdoors with your sword and one of your focuses."

"Very well, master. Good day to you."

He opened one of the pouches hanging on his belt and took out a shrunken leather bundle. Restoring it to its size and undoing the latch, he opened it, revealing several knives, mortars and other brewing instruments. Taking a steel knife, he started to dice some slugs.

Snape looked at him pensively.

It was apparent that the ceremony had changed his apprentice. No matter how much his shields hid, his power was perceptible to those sensible enough. It was also more stable, anchored, flowing effortlessly through the boy's body.

He knew more than the average wizard about Nightshades and some of its secrets. After all he had been one of the very few outsiders allowed to peruse the school library. That's how he had gotten a lead on the Wolfbane potion and his current research for a cure to Lycantrophy.

That's also how he was aware that no other bond or mark would be able to be imposed to his apprentice. They would just not take hold; the bond to Nightshades would tolerate no other allegiances. Nightshades knew only Nightshades.

However Voldemort would never admit that something could be stronger than his will. He had seen the looks the Slytherin heir was sending his apprentice. While he knew the boy would easily deal with most of the Death Eaters around, the Dark Lord was a whole other problem.

He could not do much, having already to juggle between Voldemort and Dumbledore, but he could give the boy some skills and more importantly some time to implement the first step of his plan.

He smirked.

He was not blind and he was taking steps to make sure he would not end in the middle of what was coming but come on top as one of the boy's advisor. When things would come to an end, he would disappear like any self-serving snake would. Everything was set up already. He just had to say the word and Severus Snape would be no more.

He would do what every true to heart Slytherin would.

He would prevail.


End file.
